Name: El alcalde de Zalamea
Genre: Drama
Released: 1954-01-25
Duration: 1 h 20 min
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Manuel Luna, Alfredo Mayo, Isabel de Pomés

Interesting and well acted drama based on Pedro Calderon De La Barca' s play

Nice adaptation based on the successful play El Alcalde de Zalamea , an excellent drama written by the prestigious writer Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681). It is a famous and very interpreted play written during the Spanish Gold Century , a masterpiece of the Baroque Literature and set in the Spain/Portugal war . It deals with a garrison of Spanish Tercios commanded by Don Lope : Jose Marco Davo heading for Portugal , as they stop at a village located in Extremadura : Zalamea . There captain Don Alvaro : Alfredo Mayo stands at Don Pedro Crespo's home . Don Pedro is an upright and extremely honorable man and has a beautiful and virginal daughter called Isabel : Isabel De Pomes . But Isabel is kidnapped and raped by Don Alvaro and Pedro Crespo asks him for marry her , as he saves his honour . During the family trauma Don Pedro is elected Mayor of Zalamea , but Don Alvaro renounces this engagement and Crespo seeks justice .

This is an enjoyable and well set drama with agreeable elements , fine performances , some brief parts of comedy , fencing and thoughtful events . The well known plot is nicely developed , being the argumental theme : the precious Honor . As Pedro Crespo very well performed by Manuel Luna tells the famous sentence : Honor is the valuable state of the spiritual soul and Soul is only God . Alfredo Mayo as the proud and egoistic captain Don Alvaro gives also a fine acting , as well as Jose Marco Davo as the commander Don Lope. Support cast is pretty good , full of known Spanish secondaries by that time , such as : Jose Orjas , Jose Prada, Maria Fernanda Docon , Bove , Arturo Marin , and special mention for Fernando Rey in a brief interpretation as King Felipe II .

The picture has adequate setting by the notorious designer Enrique Alarcon , including atmospheric cinematography by Sebastian Perera, and shot in Sevilla studios . And an evocative and sensitive musical score by Juan Quintero. The motion picture was professionally directed by Jose G Maesso . He was an important writer , producer and director . He made a few films as Sucedio en Sevilla , El gran crucero and Clan de inmorales. His essential labour was as a producer and writer . He created a powerful production company : Tecisa . As he made several coproductions as Scherezade, America rugiente , El diablo se lleva muertos , Sumario sangriento para Estefania , Coartada en disco rojo , Mayra and notorious Spaghetti Westerns as Django, Minessota Clay Tierra Brutal , los despiadados , El precio de un hombre , Zarabanda, and Pistoleros de casa grande. .

This Alcalde De Zalamea has been adapted in silent cinema 1914 by Juan Sola with Joaquin Carrasco , Enrique Jimenez ; and by Mario Camus 1973 : La Leyenda del Alcalde Zalamea with Francisco Rabal , Teresa Rabal , Antonio Iranzo , Julio Nuñez , Mario Pardo , Fernando Fernan Gomez , Luis Marin .

Spanish-language cinema across Spain and Latin America is united by its engagement with history, cultural identity, and social transformation. In Spain, films often balance artistic experimentation with popular genres while reflecting on memory, politics, and family. In Latin America, cinema has been deeply tied to questions of colonial legacy, resistance, and community resilience, ranging from intimate dramas to bold political allegories.

Ana Torrent in The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Based in Calderon de la Barca's drama "El alcalde de Zalamea".

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Estudios Sevilla Films, Avenida de Pio XII, Madrid, Spain

El alcalde de Zalamea

Photos3

Top Cast20

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed