REVIEW: REGRESA EL CEPA DOC ON THE CRIME OF CUENCA MOVIE
By Elena Anele (*)
REGRESA EL CEPA (2019) is latest documentary by Victor Matellano (WAX, VAMPYRES) who tells the audience all mysteries behind the classic movie EL CRIMEN DE CUENCA. This movie from 1980, directed by Pilar Miró- most famous because of her cinema law, the one some blame for being responsible of the end of tacky genre flicks- got a lot of problems to be released in the early years of the Spanish democracy. Through lots of guests, including actors, politicians, and more we take a tour guided by Guillermo Montesinos, El Cepa in the 80s film around all the different places- themes this brought up.
The original movie – and the published book- told the story of a crime taking place in the small town of Osa de la Vega, in the province of Cuenca. Jose Maria Grimaldos, known as «El Cepa» is seen on the road to the nearby village of Tresjuncos and then he disappears so the family and Guardia Civil (Spanish rural law enforcement) start looking for him and thinking he may have been killed. Miró told the whole story including the Guardia Civil questioning and torturing of the ones thought- to – be – the murderers. And that caused a lot of trouble to the film to be premiered.
What I didn’t like so much it is the presentation of information built up only by the testimonies, I miss creativeness in the construction of the discourse and in the way of presenting all the facts discussed. But, anyways, essential for Spanish cinema lovers who want to know more on transition film-making.
The movie is available on DVD region 2,Spanish audio with English subtitles (not sure as in some places it is said so but I miss confirmation), including a presentation by Gonzalo Miró- Pilar’s son- and Guillermo Montesinos and a trailer.
Extra: Video interview in Spanish to director Victor Matellano on the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHtJeBgDj6g&feature=emb_logo
__________________________________________________________
Elena Anele is the woman in charge of SPANISHFEAR.COM, Horror Rises from Spain / El podcast surge de la tumba and Un Fan de Paul Naschy . A literature and cinema researcher, finishing her postgraduate studies with a thesis about the mystic filmmaker José Val del Omar. She has published in different media and books as Fangoria or Hidden Horror. She has also been in charge of several translations including Javier Trujillo’s complete works, La Mano Film Fest, The Man who Saw Frankenstein Cry and many more.
