With George Bush on My Mind

With George Bush on My Mind
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLos abajo firmantes
Directed byJoaquín Oristrell
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
  • Javier Cámara
  • Juan Diego Botto
  • Elvira Mínguez
  • María Botto
CinematographyMischa Lluch
Edited byMiguel Ángel Santamaría
Music byNacho Mastretta
Production
companies
  • Centro de Nuevos Creadores
  • Garbo Producciones
Release dates
  • September 2003 (2003-09) (San Sebastián)
  • 17 October 2003 (2003-10-17) (Spain)
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

With George Bush on My Mind (Spanish: Los abajo firmantes;[1] transl. 'The Signers Below') is a 2003 Spanish comedy-drama film directed by Joaquín Oristrell, which stars Javier Cámara, Juan Diego Botto, Elvira Mínguez and María Botto.

Plot

The plot follows a troupe of thespians preparing a stage play (García Lorca's Play Without a Title). The replacement lead actor is also set to read an anti war manifesto at the end of the show.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by the four leads alongside Oristrell.[4] A Centro de Nuevos Creadores and Garbo Producciones production,[3] the film featured a "very small" budget, and it was shot in 3 weeks and a half.[5]

Release

The film premiered at the 51st San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2003.[6] It was theatrically released in Spain on 17 October 2003.[3]

Reception

Esteve Riambau of Fotogramas rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, writing that the film came "from the guts" to show the actors' commitment to the campaign against the Iraq War, and that it also "becomes an excellent portrait of the world of comedians", praising its boldness as the best thing about it.[7]

Casimiro Torreiro of El País considered, that rather than an erudite dissection of a stage play, the film tries to "reproduce the emotional pulse of a few days, those of the first months of 2003, lived frantically"; the chronicle about the commitment to protest against the war in Iraq, also praising the performances of the two Bottos, Mínguez and Cámara.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pavlović, Tatjana; Perriam, Chris; Triana Toribio, Nuria (2013). "Stars, Modernity, and Celebrity Culture". In Labanyi, Jo; Pavlović, Tatjana (eds.). A Companion to Spanish Cinema. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-4051-9438-9.
  2. ^ Caparrós Lera, José María (2005). La Pantalla Popular. El cine español durante el Gobierno de la derecha (1996-2003). Tres Cantos: Ediciones Akal. p. 231. ISBN 978-84-460-2414-9.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Caparrós Lera 2005, p. 231.
  4. ^ Rodríguez Marchante, E (20 September 2003). "«Los abajo firmantes», por si alguien no lo vio en la entrega de los Goya". abcplay – via ABC.
  5. ^ Monjas, C.H L. (9 April 2003). "«Los abajo firmantes» lleva al cine la reacción pacifista de los actores". La Voz de Galicia.
  6. ^ Montero, Yolanda (20 September 2003). "'Los abajo firmantes', una batalla de los actores contra la guerra". El País.
  7. ^ Riambau, Esteve (29 May 2008). "Los abajo firmantes". Fotogramas.
  8. ^ Torreiro, Casimiro (17 October 2003). "Merecido homenaje". El País.