El ruiseñor de las cumbres (1958) Poster

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6/10
Agreeable and sympathetic film with the child prodigy Joselito well accompanied by the chubby Roberto Camardiel
ma-cortes1 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Joselito lives at a village with his mother (Dolores Villaespesa) and drunken father (Antonio Casas) . Joselito is a shepherd boy and he sings splendidly throughout the streets and country . But his schoolmates nickname him as the ¨Drunk¨, that's why his father is a drunk who spends the family money in binge . Joselito decides to leave his home when he is aware a strong argument between daddy and mummy and learning his father results to be an alcoholic man . Joselito escapes and along the way he meets the rogue Peppino (Roberto Camardiel) . Later on , the roguish Peppino/Roberto Camardiel uses Joselito as a singer boy but problems emerge and Peppino is incarcerated.

This is a sensitive story proceeded in simplicity and delicacy by Antonio Del Amo . In fact , Joselito was introduced to the movie business in 1956 by this filmmaker , who directed him in this first feature, El Pequeño Ruiseñor (1957) ("The Little Nightingale"), where he earned his famous nickname . He was widely known in Spain when he became a widely successful child star , following to ¨El Ruiseñor De Las Cumbres¨ , ¨Saeta Del Ruiseñor¨ and ¨El Pequeño Coronel¨. The main role "Joselito" is played by the same in a phenomenal manner , can be said that he is perfectly adequate to his measure . He was a milestone in Spanish "child prodigies" under Franco along with Marisol , Pili and Mili and especially Pablito Calvo who starred the hits ¨The Bait¨ , ¨Mi Tio Jacinto¨ and ¨Marcelino Bread and Wine¨ . And the producers trying to keep them as little kids for as long as possible . Due to false advertising by the studios that made their movies, and which wanted to make him appear younger than they really were , an obsession that haunted them through the whole of their careers .

¨El Ruiseñor De las Cumbres¨ is a joyful as well as entertaining Spanish musical/weeper/drama movie , professionally realized by Antonio Del Amo . This an enjoyable and feeling movie full of mirth , drama , humor touches , agreeable message and in final takes places the ordinary reconciliation . At the same time the film gives us an ample panorama about village life ; furthermore, showing the villagers , parties , ¨Romerias¨, and various situations happen in a small town . The scenarios in which develops the deeds are perfectly designed . Musical score by Augusto Alguero responds appropriately to the ambient , originating a careful atmosphere . Evocative and luminous cinematography by Juan Marimé , though a perfect remastering is necessary . There appears notorious main and secondary actors , such as the great Roberto Camardiel , Antonio Casas , Aníbal Vela and Félix Fernández , all of them acting to perfection .

Of course , Joselito steals the show as the singer boy . Spanish film studios were looking for a new child star to follow the steps of Pablito Calvo, and make popular and populist folkloric movies and they found Joselito . After the international success of El Pequeño Ruiseñor , and following successful films such as ¨La Saeta Del Ruiseñor¨ , ¨Bello Recuerdo¨ , ¨Los Dos Golfillos¨, which were big box-office hits in Spain during Franco's dictatorship he became Spain's most famous child actor , outstanding his highly expressive face and eyes , enormous eyes and innocent, angelical face . In his films he often sings Flamenco Cante , Saetas , Soleadas and other Folkloric songs . After several movies and records, and already a big star as a singer and an actor in Europe, the next move was trying to triumph in America, so Joselito went to Mexico where he filmed various projects, starting by ¨El Caballo Blanco¨ , ¨Aventuras de Joselito en América¨ (1960), which paired him with Mexican child star 'Cesáreo Quezadas Pulgarcito to grant local box-office . His success even reached around the world , in fact he was discovered as a singer by Luis Mariano, who got him to perform in France, pretending he was 9 at the moment of his debut, when he actually was 13 . However, life was not too glamorous for Joselito, as he was treated almost as a sideshow act by his managers, not allowing him to become an ordinary teenager , and even locking him in his room between rehearsals so he couldn't meet girls . He was forced to keep his childlike image up to 1969 (when he was in his mid-twenties) in ¨Loca Juventud¨ , ¨Falso Heredero¨ and when he appeared in his last film , ¨Prisionero En La Ciudad¨ (1969). But, as his voice had long broken, he was not successful anymore . Retired from acting at early age to become a drifter , even working as a mercenary . Disappearing from public life until it was discovered much later that he had become a heroin addict and even worked as a mercenary in Africa . An attempt of a comeback as an adult proved unsuccessful, as the tastes of the audience had changed, and his voice didn't resemble the one he had as a kid, so Joselito definitely retired from show business to his home in Utiel (Valencia), where he, now clean and sober, lives a quiet life far from movie and recording studios. Nowadays , he has reappeared doing brief TV interventions and cinema such as ¨Torrente¨ and ¨Spanish movie¨ .

The filmmaker Antonio Del Amo as well as the famous producer Cesáreo Gonzalez succeeds in this picture , obtaining a great achievement , managing perfectly to the performers and taking advantage of them , giving the best of his acting . The picture touched the hearts of numerous Spanish spectators by the time . Rating : Acceptable and passable for its worthwhile mingle of drama , music , comedy , sentimentalism and good feeling .
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Climb every mountain!
dbdumonteil19 April 2007
It was before Julie Andrews and 'the sound of music" !There was already a nightingale in the mountains.

The third Joselito Jimenez movie:like his previous efforts,religion plays a prominent part in it.Whereas the first dealt with the prodigal Mary Magdelene daughter , the highlight of the sophomore effort was the Holy Week in a small town near Sevilla.In the mountains,Joselito (all his first movies cast him as Joselito),who is a shepherd ,finds an old deserted chapel.He sculpts a saint in a piece of wood and puts it on the altar.The grand finale shows the bishop consecrating the place ,with priests,altar boys,and all the inhabitants of the village.On the other hand,"Escucha mi Cancion" which followed and which made Joselito a big star outside Spain was pure melodrama with only an occasional devout line.

The screenplay seems closer to the first effort:Joselito has got problems again with his family:rejected by his stepfather in the 1956 film,here he runs away from his house cause his dad is an alcoholic brute.He follows a busker who pretends he is blind to move to pity the crowds.This subject is quite derivative,coming from the melodramas of the nineteenth century (Hector Malot's "Sans Famille" ),but at the time,Joselito's voice was really phenomenal,he had spontaneity and charm going for him ;the landscapes are lovely .And Peppino ,the busker with a big heart is an endearing character.Another permanent feature of the Joselito saga: when someone's got the singer with the golden voice,there is always someone else who wants this goose that lays the golden eggs.
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