Los Tarantos
1963 · Spain · 112 min
- Director
- Francesc Rovira Beleta
- Screenplay
- Francesc Rovira Beleta
- Music
- Andrés Batista
- Cinematography
- Massimo Dallamano
- Editing
- Emilio Rodríguez
Awards: · 2 nominations
Cast
What it is about
In the shantytown of Somorrostro, on the outskirts of Franco-era Barcelona, two rival Romani families, the Tarantos and the Zorongos, are locked in a bitter feud. Rafael and Juana, from opposing clans, fall in love while their younger siblings quietly sympathize with them. The story reworks the conflict of Romeo and Juliet for two gypsy families, with echoes of Blood Wedding.
How it was made
The film adapts the stage play Historia de los Tarantos by Alfredo Mañas. Francisco Rovira-Beleta wrote and directed it, with music by Andrés Batista and cinematography by Massimo Dallamano. Carmen Amaya, Antonio Gades, Daniel Martín, Sara Lezana and Antonio Prieto lead the cast, several of them already familiar with the material from the stage. Much of the shoot took place on real locations in Somorrostro, where Amaya had been born. Street scenes lean toward documentary and Italian neorealism, while the flamenco and dance numbers link it to the musical. Certain themes are handled indirectly, a reflection of the censorship of the period. Taranto and zorongo are flamenco musical forms.
Reception and legacy
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received the Medallas del Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. Its blend of social realism and flamenco spectacle makes it a notable reference for the Spanish musical of the 1960s. In 1989, Vicente Escrivá directed a new version, Montoyas y Tarantos, in which Daniel Martín and José Manuel Martín made brief cameo appearances.
Stills
Trivia
Shot where its star was born
Scenes were filmed in Somorrostro, the neighborhood where Carmen Amaya, the film's leading star, had been born.
Two actors return in the remake
In the 1989 version, Montoyas y Tarantos, Daniel Martín and José Manuel Martín, who had acted in the original, made small cameo appearances.
More films by Francesc Rovira Beleta
Bewitched Love
The Lonely Woman
The Robbers
There's a Road on the RightOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.