Customer Reviews

Su Excelencia

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filmed during the cold war era, this movie presents several fictional nations that are more like real nations as: Pepeslavia (Soviet Union), La Republica de los Cocos (Mexico) and Dollaronia (USA), the plot is really stupid in the way that it should be, after years of debating between the both main political systems, red ones and green ones (Communists and capitalists) they have decided to solve the conflict trough an ONU main assembly, in which every nation of the world will vote in favor
of red ones or green ones and then the winner is going to control the world.
there is only one vote left, the vote of the "La republica de los cocos" so Pepeslavia and Dollaronia are fighting to get that vote, and Cantinflas as ambassador of "La republica de los cocos" is deciding which one is going to get his vote.

Pretty Simple and improbable plot but Cantinflas Manage to make it work, because of his charisma he delivers a lot of funny moments, and a time of reflection.

Put special attention to his final speech, after nearly 40 years it can still makes you reflect.

The plot is pretty simple and the story somewhat predictable as the capitalist and communist countries try to manipulate Cantinflas so as to win his vote. What really makes this movie is Cantinflas himself. His humor and wit are worth seeing, and being a fluent Spanish speaker, I'd say that Cantinflas' Spanish can make one laugh more than any other Spanish-speaking actor I've ever seen. It's also clean, kind, and timeless, which is more than I can say for other comedians. His charisma and energy in his witty responses in Su Excelensia kept my interest and kept me laughing to the point where I'd see this movie and any other of his films over and over again in hopes of picking up some of his Spanish wit myself.

Mario Moreno does it again with his role as an embassador in this movie. It has a lot of funny moments but not quite as much as in previous movies. The most memorable part of this movie is the ending. His speech was awesome and seemed to show us Mario Morenos true feelings at such a delecate time in history. Overall, this movie is worth buying, especially if your a Cantinflas Fan!

I discovered this film last year during one of the frequent and exasperating commercial breaks on CNN or Fox News, where I spend four hours every night. When this happens, I just zap around the dial, watch a bit of something else and then return to Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck or Anderson Cooper. Except when I zap into an interesting program on PBS without any slicing, in which case I don't go back!

When I saw "Su Excelencia" on another commercial channel, I stayed there for a while because Cantinflas was one of the characters of my childhood, since Spanish is one of the three languages that I master enough to write directly and be published in them. But when the film was sliced by a commercial break, I went back to CNN or Fox News, whatever, because I only tolerate one interruption for films, as they do in France on private channels. The longer, the better because I take advantage of this intermission to wash the dishes and clean the table... However, I returned to this film during the following break on the other channel and I was lucky enough to arrive on time for His Excellency's speech at the end. This speech alone pushed me to order this DVD that same night because it's a masterpiece. Those who understand Spanish may read the full text (for free!) at the site: http://www.grijalvo.com/America_Mejico_Mexico/Cantinflas_Discurso_Su_Excelencia.htm

The film opens with a Kafkaesque scene at the embassy of Los Cocos in Pepeslavia (leader of the "Red" block): a room in the chancellery, which opens between 10:30 and 10:45, is full of people waiting for a visa. Chancellor Lopez arrives a few minutes early and starts having breakfast on his desk in presence of everybody until the clock shows 10:30; he then calls the first victim. This is an old man who has been awaiting his visa for 35 years because there is always some document missing. This time, he won't get it either because he doesn't have his "death certificate" and the chancellor wants to be sure that the old man is not going to die in his country! Then it's time to close and everybody must leave...

We then learn by a conversation between the ambassador and a diplomat that the world is divided in three blocks: the "red countries" with dictatorial regimes, the "green" ones where reigns the capitalistic economy, and the "sweet" countries. These are poor, non aligned countries like the Republic of Los Cocos (The Coconuts...) that gravitate between both blocks. A month later, a general world assembly must vote to decide if the whole world will be "red" or "green". Therefore, both blocks will try to gain the votes of the "sweet" countries, which will be able to take advantage of the situation.

During a dinner offered to foreign diplomats at the embassy of Los Cocos two days later, the current ambassador is replaced by an army general, following a "coup d'état" given by another general back home; his portrait immediately replaces the one of the old "President". But a few minutes later, the new ambassador is replaced by an admiral, following a second "coup d'état" given by another admiral, and embassy employees come in with the portrait of the new country leader... By the time of the main dish, a third telegram arrives announcing that the last employee of the embassy, chancellor Lopez (called Lopitos) is now the plenipotentiary ambassador of Los Cocos in Pepeslavia, following a third "coup d'état" directed by his godfather, who is totally unknown and therefore the embassy has no portrait to hang on the wall...

During the following weeks, the "reds" and the "greens" will start their seducing maneuvers around Lopitos in order to gain the vote of his country.

But the day of the world general assembly, when both sides have an equal number of votes and Lopitos, the last speaker, must decide of the fate of humanity, he gives a speech lashing both blocks, declares that he refuses to take this responsibility and announces that he has already signed his resignation from his function and has therefore spoken as a simple citizen.

After his speech, His Excellency leaves the international assembly and sees a beggar at the entrance of the building. Since he has no money left, he takes off his fancy overcoat and gives it to him, then moves away all alone in the cold night with his hands in his empty pockets. But he is soon joined by his secretary who runs after him and slips her right arm under his left one. We then see the couple from the back, walking away on a narrow, desert path boarded by big trees in a touching scene that reminded me of the one that closed Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece "Modern Times" (except that the girl is on his left instead of walking on the right and it happens here at night) before the camera zooms up to a white dove on a branch and the word "Fin" appears.

Dating from the peak of the cold war (1967 was only five years after the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962, in which Fidel Castro had really wanted to send nuclear missiles over the US, according to Cuban eyewitnesses who later abandoned the bearded Manitou and fled to Miami!) this film shows two almighty powers crushing small countries; one, in the name of free enterprise; the other one, even worse, a totalitarian regime smashing freedom in the name of a dreadful ideology supposedly leading to an "ideal" society. Omnipresent: the almighty Corruption (with a capital C!) waylaying for its prey in the background. Forty years later, this film doesn't have a wrinkle.

A real historic (and cheap) document, that will make you laugh at the same time!