THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF JUAN OROL – The SLIFF 2013 Review

Alright film fans, you may know all there is to know about the great Edward D. Wood, Jr. (or at least you’ve seen Tim Burton’s wonderful 1994 bio-pic ED WOOD), but did you know anything about a similar low budget (not really a “B picture”, but closer to a “Z picture”) director from “south of the border”? Well, the new film THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF JUAN OROL will give you a crash course in the colorful life and fairly long (1935 to 1968) directing career of Mr. Juan Orol. After a brief clip with the actual Orol the film jumps to 1982 and the now elderly Juan (Roberto Sosa), dressed in his 1940’s finery, is sitting in the lobby of a movie theatre showing his film retrospective to only a few film buffs. He then begins to regale a young usher with his story. Born in Galicia, he moved to Cuba. After failed attempts in boxing, baseball, and auto racing, he landed in Mexico where he has some success an enforcer for a local politico, who gives him a push into the burgeoning film industry (after getting to film a firing squad, he fell in love with the camera!). But his passion for movies didn’t match his fiery passion for his leading ladies, who often became his wife (he was married four times!). Throughout the film, Juan is advised and often assisted by a guardian angel as in PLAY IT AGAIN SAM. But this angel has a tommy gun instead of a harp. It’s Juan himself as the gangster character he would play in many of his films (kind of a refried Humphrey Bogart). And he’s always in black and white, even as the film has shifted to dazzling color! This is a bio-film full of charm, slapstick, tough guys, terrific 40’s and 50’s atmosphere, and stunningly beautiful Latin bombshells. It’s no stuffy cinema history lesson, but an enchanting look at the golden age of popcorn (or better, nachos) movies from our southern neighbors.

THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF JUAN OROL screens at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas on Monday, November 18 at 4:15 PM and Friday, November 22 at 6PM as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival

For ticket information, visit Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/fantastic-world-juan-orol-0