There are never excuses to go to the cinema, and even less so if it's to see a classic. The Verdi cinemas, another Barcelona classic, program an essential film for the history of cinematography every Thursday in the cycle Dijous d'imprescindibles. In addition, they do it at a reduced price, with a general admission of 3.9 euros. And, for Friends of Verdi, 2.9 euros.
This Thursday, June 30, the chosen film will be a great Spanish classic, Moros y cristianos (1987), by Luís García Berlanga. With an unbeatable plot, the comedy starring Fernando Fernán Gómez tells the story of a family, owners of a nougat factory, who go to Madrid to promote their products at a gastronomic fair. A decision made against the patriarch and creator of the company, Don Fernando Planchadell, faithful to his principles and allergic to innovation. The cast is completed by Verónica Forqué, Rosa Maria Sardà, Agustín González, Chus Lampreave, José Luis López Vázquez, Andrés Pajares, María Luisa Ponte and Antonio Resines. And, as in most of the titles included in Dijous d'imprescindibles, the screening will coincide with an anniversary, in this case, the centenary of José Luis López Vázquez and that of Luís García Berlanga.
For those who are encouraged to spend the afternoon at the Verdi watching a classic, but are not convinced by this week's film, July will begin with Jules Dassin's film noir in Brute Force (1947), accompanied by Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn and Charles Bickford. Scheduled for Thursday, July 7, the film will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its premiere.
The month will continue with Las bicicletas son para el verano (1984), by Jaime Chávarri, scheduled for July 14. Based on the play of the same name by Fernando Fernán Gómez, a tribute will be paid to the playwright and actor on the centenary of his birth. As if Moros y cristianos had not been enough.
Thursday, July 21, will bring My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), by Stephen Frears. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the British actor achieved critical acclaim with this title, consolidated shortly after in the film adaptation of A Room with a View (1985) and the other successes that have followed, already totaling three Oscars, two Golden Globes and four Baftas.
July will end with Tout va bien (1972), by Jean-Luc Godard and with Jane Fonda and Yves Montand in the cast. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its premiere, the Verdi cinemas recover this classic about class struggle in a factory with echoes of May 1968, complete with pickets and the kidnapping of the boss.
To start August, a recent essential that doesn't need an anniversary. The Queen (2006) is the chosen one for Thursday, August 4, another classic by Stephen Frears, with an immaculate Helen Mirren playing Elizabeth II during one of the most critical moments of her prolific reign, the death of Lady Di.
For those who work or stay in Barcelona in August, on the second Thursday of the month, the 11th, they can laugh with Rufufú (1958), by Mario Monicelli. Based on Italo Calvino's short story Robbery in a Pastry Shop, the cast includes Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Memmo Carotenuto, Carla Gravina, Marcello Mastroianni, Totò and Claudia Cardinale. Nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film, the comedy boosted the careers of Mastroianni and Grassman.
After an Italian, a French one. The month will continue on Thursday, August 18, with All the Mornings of the World (1991), by Alain Corneau. Starring Gérard Depardieu and Jean-Pierre Marielle, it explains the relationship ---and clashes--- between a master, the composer Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, and his disciple, Marin Marai. Note: the soundtrack is directed and performed by the Igualada composer and orchestra conductor Jordi Savall.
The last classic of the month will be The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975), by Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta and starring Angela Winkler. The cinema will screen this German film on Thursday, August 25, 50 years after Heinrich Böll's Nobel Prize in Literature, author of the novel that was adapted for the big screen and can be seen at the Verdi cinemas as a culmination to a summer of classics.