Tuesday, March 24, 1998

Calzonzin inspector

092842 / 16 / MX / 1973 / Arau, Alfonso / / satire
Calzonzin inspector. © Estudio Churubusco Azteca. D: Alfonso Arau. Based on the play Revizor by Nikolai Gogol. DP: Jorge Stahl, Jr. M: Leonardo Velazquez. CAST: Alfonso Arau (Calzonzin), Pancho Cordoba (Don Perpetue), Carolina Barret (Doña Pamposa), Virma Gonzales (Enedina). Sources: 83’. Duration of screening: 91’. Colour, scope. Beautiful print with English subtitles viewed in Helsinki, SEA, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 24 March 1998. *** This belongs to the best Gogol adaptations with Shinelj (Kozintsev and Trauberg), La maschera del demonio (Mario Bava) and Vij (Aleksandr Ptushko) - but the one above all is still the Ukrainian Vetshir nakanune Ivana Kupala (Juri Iljenko). - This is a frantic, absurd farce. The director himself portrays the drunken Indian whom the corrupt village believes to be the feared, cunning Inspector. Produced on a big budget, the film boasts several spectacular scenes. Perhaps a bit less of the good thing would have been even more wonderful.

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