''Captain Pantoja and the Special Services'' () is a 1999 Peruvian-Spanish film directed by Francisco J. Lombardi. It is based on the eponymous comic novel by

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...

. The film was chosen as Peru's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the

72nd Academy Awards The 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1999 and took place on March 26, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST ...

, but did not manage to receive a nomination.

Plot

The plot follows Captain Pantaleón Pantoja, a straightlaced army captain put in charge of creating a brothel for the army, in order to reduce the incidence of rape surrounding army bases and outposts. The first half of the movie focuses on the humor of the situation, as Pantaleon runs the brothel like an efficient branch of the army. The second half is more dramatic as the captain is changed by running the army brothel and focuses on his relationship with the prostitute Olga "the Colombian".

Cast

Production

The film is a Peruvian-Spanish co-production, by América Producciones alongside Inca Films and Tornasol Films, with the participation of .

Release

The film premiered in Peru in late 1999. Its Spanish theatrical release was scheduled for 30 June 2000. The North-American release features a runtime of 119 minutes.

References

External links