Los Tarantos

Spain (1963): Drama/Romance

An outstanding adaptation of Alfredo Mañas' play, La historia de los Tarantos, that -- in a sort of time and space transposition of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet -- describes the unlucky love between a couple of young gypsies, from two opposing families in the now missing district of Somorrostro in Barcelona. Francisco Rovira Beleta's direction -- seriously committed to Catalonia social realism -- reached an international audience with this fable of passion and resentment, embellished by the superb flamenco sequences danced by Carmen Amaya (in her last film appearance). Blending black-and-white and color cinematography, the film almost looks like a documentary. It sheds much light on this excluded ethnic group -- without taking the easy and trite road into Spanish folklore. (Translated from Toni Martin, IMDb).

· Foreign Language Film Award 1963: (Spain) (José Gutiérrez Maesso & Francisco Revira Baleta, producers.)

1 nomination