The cinema was full Sunday night. They cast While the war lasts , Alejandro Amenábar's film with a very unusual protagonist in Spanish cinema. Extraordinary, almost unique. Not a wretched woman, not a bowling tacky, or an unstructured family, or a superhero, or a filmmaker who films himself. The protagonist of the film is a Spanish intellectual . Intellectual really, not paste. The armchair was quiet and quiet when the light came on. An extraordinary event happened. The viewers took a few minutes to look at the lit screens of their mobiles. Perhaps, surely, they were reflecting on Miguel de Unamuno's speech in the Paraninfo of the University of Salamanca on October 12, 1936 . Such a day as today of the year that the uncivil war began. The spectators seemed moved by the words of intelligence, precision and piety. The words of a Spanish, who was Basque, Spanish, Canary, Andalusian and everything else. A really great Spanish. Recently, at the Teatro de la Abadía, something similar happened when José Luis Gómez finished his monologue about Unamuno with the same speech. The public began to applaud like crazy not only the actor. They also cheered that wandering soul of Spain, the best, who embodied the philosopher, novelist and poet.

Amenábar's success is not to have shot an impeccable and canonical film from the cinematographic and historical point of view. Or the great interpretation of Karra Elejalde and the other actors. His great triumph is that the Spaniards are filling theaters because they are recommended by family, neighbors or friends.

I attended the screening with two Spaniards - girl and boy - very young. They did not know that Franco had the intelligence of pretending to be a fool being really smart, as well as perverse. Nor that Unanumo was a cranky genius, rabidly jealous of his freedom as a professor. A gigantic thinker who had doubts and crisis of faith. Another success of Amenábar. Teach the young people History of Spain in the cinema , since in the classrooms they reach the 20th century at the end of the course, and they study quickly and running the Civil War and Francoism.

More than a million Spaniards have gone to the cinema to know what the author of San Manuel Bueno, martyr , Of the tragic feeling of life or Aunt Tula was . Just for that, thanks Amenábar. One last thing. Only someone very simple, very ignorant - or both - can analyze Unamuno or his film in a political or partisan way.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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