''Diez segundos'' (''Ten Seconds'') is a 1949 Argentine film directed by

Alejandro Wehner Alejandro Wehner was an Argentinian film director. His work included Diez segundos (1949), Rio turbio (1951) and Fierro a fondo (1952). His first film, ''Diez segundos ''Diez segundos'' (''Ten Seconds'') is a 1949 Argentine film directed by Al ...

, produced by

Emelco Emelco was an Argentine film studio. In 1946, Emelco reportedly had annual contracts with 530 theatres in Argentina, representing all of the first run and major second run and neighborhood theatres. It also had opened an office in New York City. ...

studios. The film is a boxing drama starring Ricardo Duggan,

María Esther Buschiazzo María Esther Buschiazzo (1889–1971) was an Argentine actress.Seibel, Beatriz (2002). ''Historia del Teatro Argentino: Desde Los Rituales Hasta 1930''. Volume 1. Corregidor, p. 379. Filmography *''Hombre de la esquina rosada'' (1962) *'' La ...

Patricia Castell Patricia Castell, born Ovidia Amanda Paramidani Padín (25 April 1926 – 29 September 2013), was an Argentine actress, appearing on radio, television and in films. Born in Avellaneda in 1926, her career began in the 1940s and lasted for more t ...

Carlos D'Agostino Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

(voice),

Delfy de Ortega Delfy de Ortega (21 August 1920, Turin – 21 September 1995, General Rodríguez Partido) was an Italian-born Argentine actress. Filmography *''Sin querer, queriendo'' (1985) *'' Yo también tengo fiaca'' (1978) *''El divorcio está de moda ( ...

María Rosa Gallo María Rosa Gallo (December 20, 1925 – December 7, 2004) was an Argentine actress. Career Born of a Calabrian father and Spanish mother on 20 December 1925, Gallo studied at the ''Conservatorio Nacional de Música y Arte Dramático'' (Nationa ...

Oscar Valicelli Oscar Valicelli (1 July 1915 – 11 October 1999) was an Argentine film actor. Filmography * ''La Mary'' (1974) dir. Daniel Tinayre …Ubaldo * ''Balada para un mochilero'' (1971) dir. Carlos Rinaldi …El Moncho * ''Desnuda en la arena'' (19 ...

and

Oscar Villa Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

. It premiered on November 23, 1949 in Buenos Aires. The film was distributed by Interamericana. Castell and Rosa Gallo would later star alongside each other in several films and television series over several decades including '' Perla Negra and '' Zíngara'' (1996).

Plot

The film is loosely based on

Horacio Estol Horacio Estol was an Argentinian journalist and writer based in New York. From there he wrote the columns for which he was famous, writing for publications such as the '' Clarín'' newspaper or ''Autoclub'', the journal of the Automóvil Club Argent ...

's 1946 ''Vida y combates de Luis Angel Firpo'', a biography of the Argentine boxer

Luis Ángel Firpo Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed ''The Wild Bull of the Pampas''. Boxing career In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing career by beating Frank Ha ...

who came close to beating

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...

in 1923. In the film, a humble lad starts to learn to box to defend himself, then goes on to become a professional boxer. He is trained heavily by Oscar Villa. Duggan's love interest in the film is played by Patrica Castell.

Cast

* Ricardo Duggan *

* Raul del Valle *

Reception

The book which the film was based on, Estol's ''Vida y combates de Luis Angel Firpo'' (1946) was received quite poorly and Wehner was inexperienced as a director, resulting in a disappointing film. A critic of the newspaper ''Noticias Gráficas'' said (in English): "They have used a narrative method that disappoints the viewer" and compared it to the delirium a boxer experiences when being knocked out. ''Diario Critica'' newspaper said (in English) "Some secrets of the technique get some interesting effects, but it reveals absolute nullity in the management of the interpreter."Manrupe, Raúl y Portela, María Alejandra: ''Un diccionario de films argentinos (1930-1995)'' pág. 178 Buenos Aires 2001 Editorial Corregidor The authors of a 2009 analysis of the role of sports in Juan Peron’s government see the film as an example of the government’s pursuit of national advancement and social mobility through sporting achievement. Its

MALBA The Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires ( es, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, MALBA) is a museum located on Figueroa Alcorta Avenue, in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires. Created by Argentine businessman Eduardo Costantin ...

entry describes it as a classic Argentinian B movie and as a faithful, almost anthropological, representation of life in a Buenos Aires neighborhood of the time.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diez Segundos 1949 films 1940s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Argentine boxing films