El quinto jinete (1975– )

Notable Spanish series based on great classics of universal literature, all of them masters of fantasy and terror: Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, Henry James, Prosper Merimée, ETA Hoffmann, etc. The series was first broadcast on TVE from December 1975. It was later replaced in the second string in 1985. The first thing to note about the series is that the selection of authors and works is exceptional. Of course, someone can always miss a certain writer (for example, Bram Stoker, Conan Doyle ...), or some specific work ("The tall woman" of Alarcón enters, in my opinion, among those essential) . But we must recognize that it is impossible for all who are. However, it is also indisputable that this time if they are all who are. Let us say that almost all the stories are of Gothic style and that twelve of the thirteen authors are writers of century XIX. The only exception is Stephen Grendon, who is actually the pseudonym behind which lies August Derleth, a writer of the twentieth century who was a friend and disciple of Lovecraft. However, his included story (Mr George) also has a pronounced Gothic tone. Another of the highlights is the formidable performance of all the performers, a logical thing given the impressive array of actors involved in the series: Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Jack Taylor, Lola Herrera, Aurora Redondo, Patty Sheppard, Julián Ugarte, Pastor Serrador, Teresa Gimpera, Eusebio Poncela, Tota Alba, Charo Soriano, Fernando Delgado, Fiorella Faltoyano, Manuel de Blas, Eduardo Calvo, Andrés Mejuto, Victor Israel, Luisa Sala, José Orjas, Tomás Blanco, Jaime Blanch ... really incomparable. The ambiance of almost all the chapters is equally of very good level, with decorated and costumed dressings and, in short, a staging more than worthy. The only negative points of the series are, to my understanding, some of the adaptations made, quite debatable and with scripts that sometimes move away, or change fundamental aspects, of the original story; Both in terms of characters or situations, and in terms of scenarios or even era. The team of writers was the following: Ángela Duerto, Juan García Atienza, Enrique Brassó, Pablo Torino, and the own director of the series, José Antonio Páramo. In general terms, it can be said that the best scripts are those of Ángela Duerto, while the most debatable ones are due to Juan García Atienza. The other irregular aspect comes from the technical section, and more concretely from the montage and edition of some episodes, which was, to put it somehow, quite careless. There are some sudden cuts, sequences that seem incomplete, jerky jumps from one plane to another, or images that seem out of place. Apart from this, the direction of José Antonio Páramo is very correct, always highlighting the atmosphere of the chosen scenarios with images that convey well the mystery and the feeling of restlessness. All this relying always on the great level of its actors, to whom the director gives almost all the leadership. The average duration of the chapters is about 48 minutes. Although there are shorter ones, such as "Spectral income" (40 minutes) and also longer, as is the case of "The Demon" (56 minutes).