Main Street (1956) User Reviews

Spanish classic/Neo-realist drama with excellent players and masterfully directed by Juan Antonio Bardem

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 7 September 2015]

"The Lovemaker" or ¨Main Street¨ deals with a group of ¨Amigotes¨ or friends (Luis Peña , Jose Calvo , Alfonso Godá , Manuel Alexandre) decide to have a good time and play a trick on a spinster named Isabel (Betsy Blair married to Gene Kelly) . Therefore one of them , called Juan (Jose Suarez who was a big star in Spanish and Italian cinema) , has to pretend to fall in love with her .

This splendid drama develops a peculiar romance , plenty of sadness and melancholy , between a bank clerk full of doubts and an unmarried woman . Based on on the play "La Señorita de Trévelez" by Carlos Arniches , being well adapted by the same filmmaker , Juan Antonio Bardem . Fine performances from Betsy Blair as a bourgeoisie lady , a sweet and lonely woman who falls in love with an unscrupulous person . Betsy Blair , recent her Oscar for ¨Marty¨, steals the show , she gives a sensitive and unforgettable acting . The movie displays a Spanish secondary star-studded such as Jose Calvo , Manuel Alexandre , Jose Prada , Luis Peña and international actors as Dora Doll , Ives Massard and Lila Kedrova . This is a 'rara avis' film of the 50s because dealing with a strong portrait of Spanish society , it didn't please the pro-Franco authorities and was strongly censored . Bardem's conceptual and political audacity as well as the social criticism result to be so evident in this film who he had to fight the censorship which didn't admit the some engaging scenes and obligated a determined ending . During the start of filming , student protests in Madrid, led to the arrest of director Juan Antonio Bardem, a communist, in the city of Palencia and carried out by the Brigada Politica Social . He was jailed for a few days and released on the condition that he could not talk about his personal life or beliefs during interviews related to the film . After Bardem's jailing and release, he decided to stop early filming in Palencia, and shot the remaining of the movie in other cities . Atmospheric and Neo-realist cinematography by Michael Kelber and adequate musical score by Joseph Kosma . Being shot on location in Palencia , Cuenca in which was filmed most nature images and the apartment building being constructed . And Plaza Mayor of Logroño , where took place most city scenes, including the main square with the arcades . The rest was shot in Madrid , in Chamartín Studios and Suevia Films-Cesáreo González Studios .

The motion picture was very well directed by Juan Antonio Bardem . Bardem was a good filmmaker and older brother of Pilar Bardem and son of notorious actors as Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro , who in ¨Main street¨ she plays the maid or Chacha . Furthermore , he is uncle of Oscarized Javier Bardem , Carlos Bardem , Mónica Bardem and father of Miguel Bardem . Bardem was an outspoken critic of the Franco regime, his political views prevented him from gaining a diploma from the Spanish cinema institute in 1947 . Thereafter, he worked as a critic and finally broke into films as writer/director of the much acclaimed ¨Death of a cyclist¨ or Muerte De un Ciclista (1955), which won the 1956 Cannes International Critics Award . Other classic films he wrote or directed are the followings : ¨Bienvenido Mr. Marshall¨ (co-directed by Luis Garcia Berlanga) , ¨Esa Pareja Feliz¨, ¨Comicos¨ , ¨Sonatas¨, ¨La Venganza¨, among others . ¨Calle Mayor¨ rating : Above average , essential and indispensable seeing for Spanish cinema fans ; in fact it was voted ninth best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary and being prized in Festival Of Venice . This one is deservedly considered one of the best movies of the Spanish cinema .

Melodrama and political criticism

[chamarasca · 8/10 · 7 November 2016]

Without doubt, the best movie of Juan Antonio Bardem, perhaps thanks to the excellent support from the competent Spanish studio Suevia Films. Links both with the best tradition of Hollywood melodrama (reinforced by the presence of the excellent American actress Betsy Blair in the main character) and with the Spanish literature about life in provincial towns (Clarin, Perez Galdos and other authors). Bardem is inspired by the play The Lady from Trévelez, by Carlos Arniches. But he completely overrides any vestige of humor, retains social criticism and intensifies the dramatic facet. The cruel joke made by several unscrupulous pranksters at the expense of a spinster ends in tragedy. The very executor of the deception (the love-maker according to one of the titles that the film had in the United States), is aware of the devastating consequences that will result in the naive Isabel. But it is also unable to break with the rest of the gang and confess the truth. Bardem, militant of the underground Communist Party of Spain, made a subtile criticism to the General Franco's dictatorship. However, censorship was more concerned to limit the references to the Catholic Church and adding a prologue that tries in vain to place the action anywhere. However, the film can be watched perfectly regardless of the political message and understood as mere social criticism.

Exile on main street.

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 2 January 2005]

Prologue:let's put it straight.Betsy Blair is miscast.Is this because she played Borgnine's so called ugly girl in the Oscar-winning "Marty" (1955)?Perhaps so ,but her beaming face ,her luminous smile,her intense longing for happiness are anything but unattractive .She's not Ava Gardner,by a long shot,but she easily outshines her would be handsome lover.

Prologue 2:Is it possible,considering the high rating of "calle mayor",that nobody -Spanish users,get a life!It's your culture!- felt like writing about this unfairly overlooked gem? "Calle Mayor" (Grand Rue,Hauptstrasse,Main Street)is the place where ,in a provincial town,people meet,talk and wait.All a woman has to do , Tonia says ,is wait wait wait ,behind her window,at the ball,or on "calle mayor".Isobel has been waiting for eighteen years for a man,because,in the fifties in Spain (and in Europa as well),the only way a woman had is marriage.Or she would become a wallflower and a spinster.

"Calle mayor" is a trap :the omnipresence of religion can be felt here there and everywhere ,with the church bells marking out the hours in a town that has stood still for years,with the nuns pacing up and down the street ,asking for a few pesetas more for their good works.A group of men ,not so young anymore,is searching for something to do.A good joke would be nice to kill time :so they ask one of them to pretend he's in love with Isobel ,the thirty-five year old woman-at the time,it was much too late !-.Isobel begins to live in a dream,and the buck cannot bring himself to tell her the truth (out of pity?he does not know himself)..I say it again,Betsy Blair,although excellent was not the right choice :first she's not Spanish ,and mainly she 's not ugly .So it does not always work well,because,if we were in the man's shoes,we would fall in love head over heals with her.But this must not prevent you from watching Juan Bardem's sensitive work:his depiction of the provincialism is absorbing , the sad landscapes on the edge of town or this little railway station where the tragedy is resolved are masterfully filmed.

Juan Bardem was a committed artist.He was arrested before he finished "Calle Mayor" and later he produced Bunuel's masterpiece "Viridiana".It's really too bad that ,now that Spanish cinema triumphs again with Amenabar ,Bardem's name should be virtually forgotten.

Blair and Bardem create a masterpiece

[Red-125 · 10/10 · 13 November 2005]

"Calle Mayor" (1956) (US title "The Lovemaker") was written and directed by Juan Antonio Bardem. The film stars the extraordinary Betsy Blair, who had just received an Ocscar nomination for her work in "Marty" (1955).

The plot of this film, although set in provincial Spain, has overtones of "Marty." Ms. Blair is cast as Isabel, an unmarried woman in her 30's. Isabel--and the people on Main Street--have decided that she will be forever unloved and unmarried. Then, several of the bored men of the town decide to play a cruel practical joke--one of them will declare his love for Isabel, promise to marry her, and then reveal the hoax at the last minute.

The joke moves forward as planned, and during the middle of the of the movie, Isabel blossoms as she finds herself in love with, and seemingly loved by, a handsome young man.

Ms. Blair is an extraordinary actor, and she is able to give us a portrait of a woman who is capable of great romantic love, although she's been deprived by circumstances of any opportunity to express this emotion. It is to director Bardem's credit that he recognized Ms. Blair's talents, and was able to utilize these talents to the fullest in this film.

Other reviewers have commented on the difficulty of an attractive woman like Betsy Blair playing a woman who is considered unattractive and unmarriageable. (Of course, this problem also arose in "Marty.") Ms. Blair was in Rochester for the screening of "Calle Mayor" at the High Falls Film Festival and this question was raised by a member of the audience. She replied that this was, indeed, a problem, but that she tried to overcome it by having a relatively unattractive hair style, and wearing dresses that were prim and plain. My thought is that a great actor like Ms. Blair was able to transcend the problem. When we see her in "Marty" and "Calle Mayor," we accept the fact that the other characters in the movie don't consider her attractive. We also accept the fact that both women don't consider themselves attractive, or, at least, don't consider themselves attractive enough.

The plot of the movie plays itself out in a fascinating and compelling fashion. The film closes with a final shot of Ms. Blair that is absolutely breathtaking. For me this shot ranks alongside the final shot of Greta Garbo in "Queen Christina" as one of the most memorable endings of any film I've seen.

The disgraceful witch hunt blacklist of the 1950's kept Betsy Blair from doing all the work of which she was capable, and kept us from the pleasure of seeing this work on the screen. We are fortunate that her immense acting skills are preserved for us in "Marty" and "Calle Mayor." "Marty" is readily available; "Calle Mayor" may be hard to find. Finding it is worth the effort--it's a film not to be missed.

Really haunting

[Red_Identity · 18 September 2013]

The plot of the film is quite simple, and just saying it makes it look less effective than it ultimately is. Let me tell you, it's incredibly effective, and quite brutal too. The acting is pretty fantastic, but the directing is so on point and concise that it becomes the biggest star of the film. Juan Antonio Bardem knows what his intention is and what he's trying to achieve, and I think he achieves it perfectly. The ending is proof of that. The final several minutes are haunting in a pretty memorable and conflicting way, to the point that it becomes unpredictable and you seriously have no idea how it's going to end. Very much recommended.

Like tears in the rain.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 10 August 2022]

Being very lucky to see a number of outstanding titles at VIVA! The 28th Manchester Spanish & Latin American Film Festival, I was pleased to recently discover that the HOME cinema in Manchester were screening a 35MM print of a movie by a film maker from Spain who I've heard about for years, leading to me going down main street.

View on the film:

Revealed in an introduction before the screening started that filming was halted in the middle of production, due to the film maker being jailed after joining students in protesting against General Franco, writer/directing auteur Juan Antonio Bardem & Lovers of Paris (1957-also reviewed) cinematographer Michel Kelber take an unflinching gaze at the society Isabel is surrounded by, with a stylish Neo-realist atmosphere, via wonderfully framed, long tracking and panning shots circling Isabel believing that she and Juan are falling in love, which Bardem shatters with a poetic final shot, where tears melt into the rain.

Moving to Europe after being blacklisted in the US, Betsy Blair (whose voice is dubbed) gives a very good performance as Isabel, whose joy at getting together with Juan is expressed by Blair with a wide smile, which shatters on the broken romance. Taking a bet with his pals, Jose Suarez gives a wonderful performance as Juan, thanks to Suarez displaying a mischievousness when Juan is hanging out with his friends, which Suarez twists into sincerity, as he gains Juan's trust on main street.

We are not helpless, Mr. Bardem

[primogose · 5/10 · 13 December 2009]

OK, I can understand why this movie had such an impact on some segments of 50's Spain; it was almost the first neo-realistic movie made on the country, and its attitude and principles were far away from the films that the Spanish industry made on the post-civil war years.

But it's very derivative of Rossellinni, and specially De Sica's movies of the 40's & 50's. It's just an attempt of doing what the European left-winged filmmakers of that period thought was right and meaningful: to denounce society's injustices.

I'm not against social concerned films, like the ones that directors above mentioned did, but sure i don't like to be preached from someone who thinks he's right and moral, and that's the way i felt seeing this film. Said that, i had to to confess i always have in mind the (very discursive) scene on which the old professor tells that boredom is just one of the biggest social problems, that leads people to do very cruel and insensitive things. Contradictory, but only in a way; just because i do agree with that idea i just can't justify that someone puts himself above someone else like the professor (obviously Bardem) do with the "not so young" gang of "good-for-nothing" men.

Finally i didn't like the despairing final; it seems like Betsy Blair's character has ceased to exist not taking the train to Madrid. Does that mean that leaving for a big city is going to settle provincial people problems? Why can't she take this like something that needs to reaffirm herself? I'd rather see a more open final.

Anyway, great Betsy Blair. It's a shame she didn't had the chances she deserved: "Marty" is my 50's favorite drama, and she is wonderful here too. Maybe she's not that ugly like some other user said, but when you see a film you always expect an incredible good-looking woman, and she was not, so to me she's believable on that kind of roles.

Operates on multiple levels

[p_radulescu · 25 January 2013]

Like Death of a Cyclist, the other movie of Bardem that I watched, also The Lovemaker operates on multiple levels.

The most obvious is the neorealist level. A province town in the Spain of the 1950's, where time has died. The main street, the Calle Mayor, like an attempt of this place to claim an identity. Pathetic and vain. There is a church, there is a sordid café (or a brothel, whichever), there is a town library (under the billiards parlor), and there are the arcades, beautiful while not enough to demonstrate life deserves to be lived. People light candles at home and go to church on Sundays. The Civil War is still there in family wounds, while already forgotten history. Isabel's father was a colonel in the army of Franco, killed in the war, she is just an old spinster. There is a group of guys making stupid jokes to run away the boredom. Juan (José Suárez, in the best role of his career) will pretend to fall for Isabel, to make her ridicule. She believes him and becomes happy. The story goes on till it is too late. Maybe he falls in love, too, that'd be the natural way. Only nothing can be natural in that place. Anyway, Juan has to chose between the courage to remain with her and to be happy (covert by the ridicule of his friends, and ultimately of the whole town) and the cowardice to just get out. Of course he'll choose cowardice, because that's the way it is.

There is also another level, beyond the neorealist drama. I would name it existential level. It is not only about that particular place in that particular time. It's about a universal experience. The street, the Calle Mayor, where all those people walk frenetically, like to show themselves that they really exist, this street comes in the movie like a dream. A dream in subtle dark tones, with imprecise images. An illusion of life. For several times the movie shows the railroad station, where trains are leaving, while no person is able to get on and escape from the illusion. Juan remains trapped in the town stupidness, Isabel remains trapped, ultimately everybody there is trapped, everybody is a spinster. A place of zombies. The impossibility of life to get off the illusion, to become reality. And the question addressed to us, who are watching the movie: is this real or are we just participants in a dream? Are we really alive?

And beyond all these levels, The Lovemaker (the same as Death of a Cyclist) is a reference to other essential works in the history of cinema. Firstly, Fellini's Vitelloni: more has been said about their similarities. Then, the beginning scene (with the guys making the joke with the coffin) calls in mind Buñuel; also the superb scene at the end, with Isabel beyond a window washed by rain, an accolade for the Meshes of the Afternoon with its leitmotif (Maya Deren beyond a window washed by echos of reality and illusion).