User reviews

In 1940, Charlie Chaplin released his classic "The Great Dictator". It used comedy to draw attention to the evils of Fascism and it ended with a beautiful and impassioned speech about brotherhood. Two and a half decades later, the Mexican comic, Cantinflas, released a film which bore many, many similarities to Chaplin's film. Though the times had changed, here in "Su Excelencia", Cantinflas makes fun of the Cold War and the film ends with a very similar sort of speech about brotherhood. Now I am NOT saying this later film is a remake--but I really do think one inspired the other.

The film is set in a world with countries much like the Soviet and Western Bloc nations but all the names of the nations have been changed. Canfinflas plays Lopito--a lowly employee for his nation's embassy. However, in a funny scene, a dinner party is disrupted when they hear of a coup--and the ambassador is replaced. And, by the time the dinner is complete, three MORE coups occur--leaving Lopito as the new ambassador! Now that he's suddenly an important man, forces from the Red nations (i.e, communists) and Green nations (capitalists) begin pushing him for an upcoming vote--and his is the deciding vote. How Lopito handles all this is quite clever and graceful and the movie ends on a note VERY much like "The Great Dictator".

If you are looking for a hilarious comedy, you should look elsewhere. Compared to many of Cantinflas' other films, it's much more serious and less goofy. This is NOT a criticism--I liked the social and political commentary in this film. While I was born, raised and live in a 'Green' nation, Cantinflas' speech had a lot of brilliance in it as he criticized both the Red and Green nations. Overall, a serious yet funny little comedy.

For the looks of it with so little votes the cantinflas movies recieve in IMDB I can say that there aren't many Cantinflas fans, but if you are one I recommend you see this one, it shows cantinflas not only as a clown but also trying to get a message through. I truly enjoyed this movie

Lopez , treated friendly by all as Lopitos (Cantinflas) , is an Ambassador assistant in the Los Cocos Republic . Through a sudden series of happenings , three military coups (carried out by General León Balarraza: Tito Junco , and , Almirante Neptuno Aguado : Víctor Alcocer , among others) , and a revolution take place , all of them are successful in the same day, with as much changes in governments, and ambassadors, and it results in Lopitos becomes himself his Excellency , the Ambassador. Shortly after , an international assembly is planned to decide who will govern the world . It occurs all nations have either lined up behind the "Green" banner, led by the money oriented Dolaronia, or the "Red" ideology, whose figurehead is the prime minister of socialist Pepeslavia . The latter assigns his underling to bribe the recently appointed Ambassador Lopitos -who has the deciding vote- by romancing him with a bombshell Camarada spy (Maura Monti) , but Lopitos has already a girlfriend , his secretary Lolita (Sonia Infante) .

This is a Mexican production dealing with Mexico's greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time, Cantinflas . The film is basically a deep critique to communism and capitalist democracy , as a powerful international struggle is taking place, with two main factions : Red and Green , with the votes divided fifty-fifty between the Red and Green sides ; then , Los Cocos , that has a main role to decide the future , being deceived , blackmailed and betrayed by other countries . At the end takes place an overlong speech , in Charles Chaplin's Great Dictator style, this accusating speech will be the last at the large conference , after long tirades from adepts of both factions , and it is a speech to end all previous speeches . Shooting in the Churubusco studios , as usual , in passable production design and acceptable scenarios . Here there are sour rewiews to imperialism , dark diplomacy , bribery , and personal corruption . Cantinflas gives a peculiar and sympathetic acting , as always , as a humble but loyal citizen of Los Cocos Republic , working as an assistant at the chancellery, helping to process visas when suddenly becomes an Ambassador , then an important decision falls heavily on the shoulders , being bombarded by both sides to gain his decisive vote.

Cantinflas had poor origins, in his beginnings worrking on the small stage and later on , acting in Mexican cinema to the bright lights of Hollywood , being hired by a powerful US producer , Mike Todd . In his youth, he earned money as a prizefighter and worked as an acrobat in circus tent shows. As he acted in cabarets , theatres and varietee shows . He was married to Valentina Ivanova from 1936 until her death . He appeared in more than 55 films, including as Passepartoute in his biggest hit : Around the world in 80 days (1956) . At the peak of his career in the late 1950s , Cantinflas was earning more than $1.5 million a year and was referred to in press releases as the world's highest-paid comedian. He once described as "the world's greatest comedian" by none other than Charles Chaplin . Despite the fact that Cantinflas died a millionaire several times over, and was one of the biggest stars ever in Spanish language films, he never forgot where he came from. Much of his money was given over to charitable work, including high-quality, low-income housing for Mexico City's poor . When he died , he was hailed as a national hero, and a protracted period of official mourning followed. There's no real consensus on how Mario Moreno Reyes adopted his more familiar professional name . One story goes that he did not want to shame his family, who thought of show business as a less than respectable profession, and so created his name . Another is that, at one of his first nightclub engagements, a heckler taunted him with, "¡En la cantina inflas!" ("You get drunk in the bar room!") . Other stories say the name came from phrases like "¡Cuanto inflas!", (you really get drunk!) "¿Cantas o le inflas?" (you sing or get drunk?), or "ya calláte cantinflas" (shut up, cheap singer) For some reason, this amused him, and he shortened the taunt into the professional name of Cantinflas . In 1936 Cantinflas made his first "film," a two-reel advertisement for a trucking company. A year later, he appeared in his first movie for the nascent Mexican film industry, "Asi Es Mi Tierra" ("That's My Country"). He scored his first international success in 1940 with what also was his first full-length feature, "Ahi Esta el Detalle" ("There Is the Detail"). In his second major film, "Ni Sangre, Ni Arena" ("Neither Blood Nor Sand"), Cantinflas plays dual roles - an arrogant matador and a humble, devoted fan. The comedy begins when, through a classic mix-up of identities, the lowly fan is mistaken for the vain bull fighter. Cantinflas was to perfect the bull-fight into one of his most famous routines, performed again and again in arenas in Mexico, Europe and the United States . Cantinflas starred a lot of hits , such as ¨Ahí esta el detalle¨, ¨Ni sangre ni arena¨, ¨El gendarme desconocido¨, ¨Un dia con el diablo¨, ¨The magician¨, ¨El Supersabio¨, ¨El Bolero de Raquel¨ and , of course , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ . In 2014 was made a biopic directed by Sebastian del Amo with Oscar Jaenada as Cantinflas and Michael Imperioli as Michael Todd , concerning his hard beginings , his relationship to his understanding wife Valentina Ivanova and anythings else .

This movie ¨Su excelencia¨ has enough budget , including decent production design , appropriate scenarios , and functional sets . As well as a colorful cinematography by the prestigious cameraman Gabriel Figueroa . It contains an evocative and atmospheric musical score by Sergio Guerrero . The motion picture was professionally directed by Miguel Maria Delgado who directed to Cantinflas in several films , being his fetish actor .

Mario Moreno does it again with his role as an ambassador in this movie. It is very funny to see how he gets his position. The film is basically about communism v democracy. People from each party are trying to get enough votes to gain momentum in the "united nations". Because Cantinflas is the deciding vote, he is being bombarded by both sides. All the names of the nations are made up but you can tell who they represent. The film has a lot of funny moments but not quite as much as in previous films. The most memorable part of this movie is the ending. The speech he makes leaves you with chills. It seemed to show us Mario Morenos true feelings at such a delicate time in history. Overall, this movie is worth buying, especially if your a Cantinflas Fan!

In the film, Cantinflas play the role of one of many public servers like anyone you can find in México: The mocking tone in the references of Mexican political class, nowadays remains unchanged, other faces came and goes there, however corruption and nepotism prevails...during the Cold War, México's politicians always searching stand in the middle but for more, the balance hangs to the right side, preferred to being closer to North American ("Los Verdes"=The Greens=Capitalists) instead to the Socialist Block (in the Movie referred as "The Colorados"=The Reds=Leftist or Cummunists)and the not alienated countries (as "Los de Dulce"=The marmalade flavored tamales=The countries in there without clearly influence of any of the two blocks). In the movie, Lupitos (Cantinflas) ahead a Janitors and Police Corps putsch in The Republic of the Cocos , Lupitos is designed a plenipotentional ambassador in Pepeslavia, similarities between The Eight Group convention and the Summit reunion to sign the destiny of nations, based in Lupitos vote, to unlined all countries in the block that obtain the majority of votes. The memorable Cantinflas-Lupitos's speech (the high top of moments of the film, previous the typical comic plotting of the Capitalists and Communists ambassadors for boodle Lupitos vote, lavishing in favors and prizes to get it) go straight to the deficiencies of both politic and economic doctrines explodes in the faces of Communists and Capitalists in this ultimate summit, pointing the disasters unchained in all third world, the misery, populations in one foot to the starve, war and terrible levels of poverty, repression and prosecution of dissident ideas, critics without concession to Capitalists or Communists, to finally saving to doomed all third world to be summit to influence of any of two power's countries .

Cantinflas made a nice history about the political situation of the world during Cold War focus also on Mexican issues. He relates the political concepts as the looks of a Mexican plate called "tamales" (as long as there are red sauce, green sauce and sweet tamales, you can imagine which political sides fits with the flavor), and also shows the vices of the Mexican bureaucracy.

He played a little with the Cuban Revolution and also gave us a laugh over the spy movements of each side in order to try to get his vote to their side.

But the most important moment is his speech, where, instead of giving his vote to any side, he asks the world to let any country to decide freely their destiny, as long as he wishes a world of peace. His last worlds are strumming.

"A man said 'love each other' but we changed to 'war each other' ".

Yes, he can be a hippie in the middle of the U.N. but his message was tender and shape at the same time. A lot of people still things that this comedian would be a great President if he wanted to be it.

In the last Cantinflas productions we have noticed how the actor didn't miss an opportunity to make scathing criticisms of the underhanded society. This work is considered the most important in this regard, since at the height of the Cold War where the rather political and in some cases the military confrontation between the United States (greens) and the Soviet Union (reds) took place .

"Su Excelencia" shows Cantinflas on another string, putting aside physical humor and concentrating on his infinite verbiage. It is considered the last film of the Golden Age of the Mexican comedian and its merits lie in the crazy dialogues and a much more elaborate plot than expected. Be careful with the final speech, a call in Cantinflas code to end the Cold War that tormented humanity in the 1960s. Similar to the one performed by the mythical Chaplin in "The Great Dictator."

Invaluable material to work with students that will never go out of style.