Miracle of Marcelino

Miracle of Marcelino

Spanish film poster
Directed by Ladislao Vajda
Written by José Maria Sanchez-Silva
Ladislao Vajda
Starring Rafael Rivelles
Antonio Vico
Juan Calvo
José Marco Davó
Music by Pablo Sorozábal
Cinematography Enrique Guerner
Edited by Julio Peña
Distributed by Chamartín (Spain)
United Motion Pictures Organization (U.S.)
Release dates
  • 24 February 1955 (1955-02-24) (Spain)
  • 8 September 1955 (1955-09-08) (Italy)
  • 22 October 1956 (1956-10-22) (U.S.)
Running time
 91 minutes
Country Spain
Language Spanish
Box office ESP 97,053,127

Miracle of Marcelino (Spanish: Marcelino, pan y vino, "Marcelino, bread and wine") is a 1955 Spanish film. It was a success, and other countries have produced versions of it. The 1955 film was written by José Maria Sanchez-Silva, who based it on his novel, and directed by Ladislao Vajda. Its stars were Rafael Rivelles, Juan Calvo (who also starred together as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in the 1947 Spanish film version of Cervantes's Don Quixote and the young child star Pablito Calvo (no relation to Juan) as Marcelino. The musical score and theme song - sung in full during the action, rather than at the start of the film - are by Pablo Sorozábal.

The story, revised and modernised in both the book and film, dates back to a medieval legend, one of many gathered together in a volume by Alfonso el Sabio.

Plot

The story revolves around Marcelino, an orphan abandoned as a baby on the steps of a monastery in nineteenth-century Spain. The monks raise the child, and Marcelino grows into a rowdy young boy. He has been warned by the monks not to visit the monastery attic, where a "very big man who will take him away" lives, but he ventures upstairs anyway, sees the man and tears off back down the stairs.

At a festival, Marcelino causes havoc when he accidentally lets some animals loose, and the new local mayor, a blacksmith whom the monks would not let adopt Marcelino because of his coarse behavior, uses the incident as an excuse to try to shut down the monastery.

Given the silent treatment by the monks, Marcelino gathers up the courage to once again enter the attic, where he sees not a bogeyman, but a beautiful statue of Christ on the Cross. Remarking that the statue looks hungry, Marcelino steals some bread and wine and offers it to the statue, which comes to life, descends from the Cross, and eats and drinks what the boy has brought him. The statue becomes Marcelino's best friend and confidant, and begins to give him religious instruction. For his part, Marcelino realizes that the statue is Christ.

The monks know something is strange when they notice bread and wine disappearing, and arrange to spy on Marcelino. One day, the statue notices that Marcelino is pensive and brooding instead of happy, and tells him that he would like to reward his kindness. Marcelino answers: "I want only to see my mother, and to see Yours after that". The statue cradles Marcelino in its arms, tells Marcelino to sleep - and Marcelino dies happy.

The monks witness the miracle through a crack in the attic door, and burst in just in time to see the dead Marcelino bathed in a heavenly glow. The statue returns to its place on the Cross, and Marcelino is buried underneath the chapel and venerated by all who visit the now flourishing monastery-turned-shrine.

The main story is told in flashback by a monk (played by Fernando Rey), who, visiting a dying girl, tells her the story of Marcelino for inspiration. The film ends with the monk entering the now completely remodeled chapel in the monastery during Mass, and saying to the crucifix once kept in the attic: "We have been speaking about You, O Lord", and then, to Marcelino's grave, which is situated nearby, "And about you, too, Marcelino".

The film remains one of the most famous and successful Spanish films ever made in history, and one of the first Spanish films to become successful in the U.S. as well.

Remakes

Awards

Won
Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Marcelino," Zeichentrickserien.de (in German). Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Festival de Cannes: The Miracle of Marcelino". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  3. ↑ "5th Berlin International Film Festival: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
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