''Los Tarantos'' is a 1963 Spanish musical drama film directed by
Francisco Rovira Beleta
Francisco Rovira Beleta (Barcelona, 1913 – 23 June 1999) was a twice Academy Award nominee Spanish screenwriter and film director. His film ''Los atracadores'' was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. His 1963 film ''Los ...
. It was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
in the
Best Foreign Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
category.
The film is based on the play ''La historia de los Tarantos'' written by Alfredo Mañas, and inspired by ''
Romeo and Juliet
''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
.
Plot
The love between two gipsies, Juana La Zoronga and Rafael El Taranto, from different families in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
is thwarted by the enmity between their respective parents. Rafael sees Juana dance at a gipsy wedding, and is captivated by her beauty and charm, and they fall in love, aided by their younger siblings who are secretly friends and sympathetic to the young lovers.
Juana earns the respect of Rafael's formidable mother, Angustias, through her spirit and grace at flamenco, but her father Rosendo, an old beau of Rafael's mother, remains obstinate, despite the pleas of Juana, Rafael and Angustias. Juana's father offers her to his colleague, Curro, to make her forget about her romance with Rafael, but neither Juana nor Rafael can forget their love. Curro becomes arrogant, killing Rafael's friend Mojigondo, and beating Juana when he suspects she has been meeting with Rafael. Desperate, Juana seeks Rafael out in his dovecote and they make love, planning to elope the following day. But Curro, incited by Juana's brother Sancho, finds them together and kills them both. Rafael's brother subsequently hunts Curro down in his stables, and kills him.
Angustias and Rosendo are united in their grief, and Juana's younger brother comforts Rafael's younger sister, showing that the feud will not continue any further.
Cast
*
Carmen Amaya
Carmen Amaya Amaya (2 November 1913/1915 – 19 November 1963) was a Spanish Romani flamenco dancer and singer, born in the Somorrostro district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
She has been called "the greatest Flamenco dancer ever Clarke, Mary ...
... Angustias
*
Sara Lezana
Sara Lezana Mínguez (born 5 March 1948) is a Spanish flamenco dancer, choreographer and actress.
In 1960, she made her debut on Teatro Valle Inclán in Madrid with ''Historia de los Tarantos'', by Alfredo Mañas. Then she made her film debut on ...
... Juana
*
Daniel Martín ... Rafael
*
Antonio Gades
Antonio Esteve Ródenas or Antonio Gades (14 November 1936 – 20 July 2004) was a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer. He helped to popularise the art form on the international stage. He was born in Elda, Alicante, and was the father o ...
... Mojigondo
*Antonio Prieto ... Rosendo
*José Manuel Martín ... Curro (as J. Manuel Martín)
*
Margarita Lozano
Margarita de las Flores Lozano Jiménez (14 February 1931 – 7 February 2022) was a Spanish actress known for her career in Italian films. She worked for Luis Buñuel in ''Viridiana'', Sergio Leone in ''A Fistful of Dollars'', Pier Paolo Paso ...
... Isabel
*Juan Manuel Soriano
*
Antoñita Singla
Antoñita Singla (born 1948), is a Spanish-born Romani flamenco dancer and actress. She often went by the stage name Antoñita La Singla or simply "La Singla" but sometimes its written as Antonia Singla.
Early life
She was born as Antonia Singla ...
... Sole (as Antonia 'La Singla')
*Aurelio Galán 'El Estampío' ... Jero (as A. Galán 'El Estampío')
*
Peret
Pedro Pubill Calaf ( ; 24 March 1935 – 27 August 2014), better known as Peret, was a Spanish Romani singer, guitar player and composer of Catalan rumba from Mataró (Barcelona).
Known for his 1971 single, "Borriquito" (Ariola Records), Per ...
... Guitarist
*Andrés Batista ... Guitarist
*Emilio de Diego ... Guitarist
*'Pucherete' ... Guitarist
*Blay ... Guitarist
*El Chocolate ... Cantaor
*'La Mueque' ... Cantaor
*'Morita' ... Cantaor (as 'Morità')
*Enrique Cádiz ... Cantaor
*'El Viti' ... Cantaor
*J. Toledo ... Cantaor
*Antonio Escudero 'El Gato' ... Juan/Bailaor (as A. Escudero 'El Gato')
*D. Bargas ... Bailaor (as D. Bargas 'Lulula')
*Amapola ... Antonia/Bailaora
*'El Guisa' ... Bailaor
*Antonio Lavilla ... Sancho
*Francisco Batista
*Carlos Villafranca ... Salvador
*Josefina Tapias
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarantos, Los
1963 films
1960s musical drama films
1960s romantic musical films
Films set in Barcelona
1960s Spanish-language films
Films directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta
Films based on Romeo and Juliet
Fictional representations of Romani people
Spanish musical drama films
1963 drama films