Name: El niño de las monjas
Genre: Drama
Released: 1959-11-05
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 4.8
Cast: Enrique Vera, Ángel Garasa, Paquito Cano

So-so but passable melodrama about a bullfighter on his way to fame, fortune and love.

At the door of a convent of nuns in a small Andalusian village, a newborn baby is found abandoned. One of the nuns picks up the baby and takes him to the mother prioress (María Francés) of the convent. The nuns decide to look after the child, leaving him in the care of Ramón (Roberto Font), the gardener who lives with Soledad, her only daughter who is just a few months old. The child is named Rafael. From childhood, Rafael shows an unstoppable and passionate love for bullfighting, dreaming of one day being a matador and earning fame and money. Rafael (Enrique Vera) grows up and when he is already an attractive young man, he begins his training and the "Capeas" in the villages, and the Cortijos. His friend and godfather the priest Don Jesús (Ángel Garasa) gives him a bullfighting suit that he had before his priesthood. His friend the priest gives him

A profound melodrama produced and directed by Ignacio F. Iquino with his company I. F. I, which is based on a play by Juan López Nuñez, about a child abandoned in a convent who, over the years, will become a famous bullfighter.

This is the third and last of the films starring the authentic bullfighter Enrique Vera, who also acted in ¨Tarde de Toros¨ and ¨El Ultimo Cuplé¨. Vera is well supported by a notable cast of faces of Spanish cinema of the time, and being a Spanish-Mexican co-production there are also some interpreters from that country: Angel Garasa, María Francés, Rosita Arenas, María de los Ángeles Hortelano, Manuel Gas, Antoñita Moreno and special mention for Roberto Font.

The motion picture was professional but regularly directed by prolific filmmaker Ignacio F Iquino , who often used pseudonym Steve McCoy . He has been considered the Spanish Roger Corman and the "godfather" of a new generation of Catalan filmmakers since 1950s to 1980s, like Directors José Antonio de la Loma, Juan Bosch, or the next Catalan filmmakers from 1980 Ferran Llagostera or Ignasi P. Ferré, and further directors and technicians. However, Iquino is considered to be one of the worst filmmakers of Spanish film history . He wrote , directed and produced lots of films by means of his production company : ¨I. F. I.¨ that financed lots of Westerns such as : ¨Oeste Nevada Joe¨ , ¨Ninguno De Los Tres Llamaba Trinidad¨, ¨La Diligencia De Condenados¨, ¨Fabulosos De Trinidad¨, ¨20 Pasos a Muerte¨ , ¨Dólar a Fuego¨, ¨Abre Tu Fosa Llega Sabata¨ , and ¨5 Pistolas De Texas¨ . Most of them starred by Richard Harrison , Jorge Martin or George Martin , Luis Davila , Daniel Martin or Robert Woods . Iquino was a Spanish craftsman , writing and directing ; working from the 40s in all kind of genres and B movies until the late 80s . Nevertheles, he also directed acceptable films as ¨Historia De Una Escalera¨ based on Antonio Buero Vallejo's novel , ¨El Judas¨, ¨Angeles Al Volante¨, ¨Tambor Del Bruch¨ and ¨Brigada Criminal¨ at his best . Rating: 4.5/10. An uneven but acceptable , only for hardcore fans of the Spanish cinema.

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)

A newborn boy is abandoned in a nunnery. The Mother Superior decides that it is the gardener who takes care of him. As the boy grows up, he manifests a determined vocation for bullfighting.

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.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

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

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Rosita Arenas and Enrique Vera in El niño de las monjas (1959)

El niño de las monjas

Photos3

Top Cast19

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed