Nine Letters to Berta (Spanish: Nueve cartas a Berta) is a 1966 Spanish drama film written and directed by Basilio Martín Patino which stars Mari Carrillo, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, and Antonio Casas. It is widely acknowledged as a hallmark title of the so-called Nuevo Cine Español.[1]
| Nine Letters to Berta | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Nueve cartas a Berta |
| Directed by | Basilio Martín Patino |
| Screenplay by | Basilio Martín Patino |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Luis Enrique Torán |
| Edited by | Pedro del Rey |
| Music by | Carmelo Bernaola |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Hispano Fox-Film |
Release dates |
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| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot edit
In the 1950s,[2] Lorenzo Carvajal, son to a former Francoist combatant now working in a bank and a pious housewife, returns to Salamanca from a spell in England. He writes love letters to a woman he met in England, Berta Carballeira (never featured onscreen), the daughter of a Spanish exile, also detailing the sense of weariness he experiences back in his native city, as he feels stranged from his family, local girlfriend, and friends.[3][4][5][6]
Cast edit
- Emilio G. Caba as el hijo (Lorenzo)[2]
- Mari Carrillo as la madre[2]
- Elsa Baeza as la novia (Mari Tere)[2][7]
- Lepe as el tío farmacéutico[2]
- Nicolás Perchicot as el viejo profesor[2]
- José M.ª Resel as Benito[2]
- Yelena Samarina as Trini[2]
- Miguel Palenzuela as Astudillo[2]
- Iván Tubau as el amigo extranjero (Jacques)[2]
- Antonio Casas as el padre[2]
Production edit
The film is an Eco Films and Transcontinental Films Española (Transfisa) production.[8] Shooting locations included Madrid and Salamanca.[8]
Release edit
The film was presented at the 14th San Sebastián International Film Festival in June 1966.[9] It was released theatrically in Spain on 27 February 1967.[10] 417,965 tickets were sold, with the film proving to be a blockbuster relative to comparable Nuevo Cine Español titles.[11]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Faulkner, Sally (2006). "Identity and Nationality in Basilio Martín Patino's Nueve cartas a Berta (1965)". Bulletin of Spanish Studies. 83 (3): 409–423. doi:10.1080/147538206000346261. ISSN 1475-3820. S2CID 192014733.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nueve cartas a Berta" (PDF). Retrieved 26 February 2023 – via Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte.
- ^ Pérez 2017, p. 156.
- ^ Pérez Millán, Juan Antonio (January 2011). "Salamanca en el cine de Basilio Martín Patino. De Nueve cartas a Berta (1965) a Octavia (2002)". Guzmán Gombau fotografía el VII centenario de la Universidad de Salamanca (1953-1954): liberalización cultural y apertura internacional de la universidad franquista. Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca. pp. 87–88. ISBN 978-8478001422.
- ^ González, Fernando (2000). "Exilio, identidad, historia, forma fílmica. La guerre est finie, Nueve cartas a Berta" (PDF). Film-Historia. 10 (3): 29–43.
- ^ Keller, Patricia (2013). "Letters from The City: Writing Boundaries in Nueve cartas a Berta (1965)". Bulletin of Hispanic Studies. 90 (8): 945–964. doi:10.3828/bhs.2013.57.
- ^ Bentley, Bernard P. E. (2008). A Companion to Spanish Cinema. Tamesis. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-85566-176-9.
- ^ a b "Nueve cartas a Berta". Madrid Film Office. Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio S.A. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ García-Defez 2019, p. 200.
- ^ García-Defez, Olga (2019). "De Inglaterra a Salamanca: espacio y memoria en Nueve cartas a Berta (Basilio Martín Patino, 1967)" (PDF). Salamanca. Revista de Estudios. 63: 200. ISSN 0212-7105.
- ^ Pérez, Jorge (2017). Confessional Cinema: Religion, Film, and Modernity in Spain's Development Years, 1960–1975. University of Toronto Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-4875-0108-2.