A comic play by playwright Jardiel Poncela well adapted with all the right ingredients . Before dying a man (Fernando Fernán Gómez) makes his best friend (Fernando Rey) promise not to marry his wife (Emma Penella) .The unfortunate result is that Pepe' first husband Leticia Romero (Emma Penella) returns from beyond the grave to make her life something of a misery . Paco (Fernando Rey) too gets increasingly irritated with her supernatural rival , but the dominant wife (Emma Penella) is at her wit's end as to how to sort things out.
Wildly old-fashioned fantastic comedy in which a specter returns from beyond to make an impossible life to his dominant wife and her new husband . Witty play transferred to the ghastly green screen masterfully with great actors and excellent support cast . The plot is plain and simple : a friend makes a promise to not to marry his spouse after he is gone , when he does it anyway, the first husband comes back as a ghost to give some action to the newly weds . Based on a play by Jardiel Poncela , it premiered in Madrid in 1939 . Poncela has been adapted on cinema in the followings films : ¨5 Advertencias Satanas¨ , ¨Habitantes Casa Deshabitada¨, ¨Fantasmas En Casa¨ and ¨Eloisa Esta Debajo Un Almendro¨. This ¨Un Marido De Ida Y Vuelta¨ bears certain resemblance to ¨Blithe spirit¨ (1945) the classy picture made by the maestro David Lean . Enjoyable flick , though is more a comedy than a fantasy movie , being full of absurd and grotesque roles giving sympathetic interpretations . A wonderful cast mainly depicting erudite and splendidly eccentric Spanish so-called "middle-class" . The dialogue is sprinkling , brisk and witty throughout, so a thorough knowledge of Spanish language and customs is fundamental to getting the most from this . Never has a film about ghosts , specters and death been so fun . Trio protagonist is frankly well , as Fernando Fernán Gómez , Emma Penella and Fernando Rey are magnificent . Although Penella gives an extremely theatrical acting . The film works well as a comedy because of the quick and clever dialogue between the characters and the scene stealing performances of the notorious secondaries Antonio Riquelme , Xan Das Bolas , Goyo Lebrero , Lola Gaos , Angel Alvarez and José Luis López Vázquez as a photographer . And Mercedes Muñoz Sampedro takes the prize for the most eccentric performance .
Well produced by Manuel J Goyanes , a great producer who financed successes as ¨Muerte Un Ciclista¨, ¨Calle Mayor¨ and ¨La Venganza¨by Juan Antonio Bardem . Hilarious screenplay with intelligent and likable dialogues by prolific writer José Maria Palacio who wrote other comedies as ¨Vampiro Para Dos¨ and ¨Si Mujeres Mandara¨, including a provoking and offbeat ending by the time in which includes an eternal loving triangle . The motion picture was well directed by Luis Lucia . He was an advocate at law for the powerful production company Cifesa . His film debut was ¨13-13¨ and subsequently ¨Hombre De Negocios¨, two average ¨comedies . Later on , he directed two dated historical dramas : ¨Princesa De Ursinos¨ and ¨Jeromin¨ . Lucia directed fantasy comedies as ¨La Lupa¨, ¨Un Angel Tuvo La Culpa¨ and this one . And he made various Folkloric films for Juanita Reina : ¨Lóla La Piconera¨ , ¨Gloria Mairena¨ , Carmen Sevilla : ¨Hermana De San Sulpicio¨ , Lola Flores : ¨Morena Clara¨ , Antonio Molina : ¨Esta Voz Es Una Mina¨ , among others . And he directed various vehicles for child and teen Prodigy , such as Marisol , Rocio Durcal and Ana Belén .
3 out of 3 found this helpful