''Los tres berretines'' (''The Three Whims'') is a 1933 Argentine black and white comedy film, the first film made by the newly formed

Lumiton Lumiton is a former film production company and current museum located in Munro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lumiton Studios was founded in 1932 at the start of the golden age of film in that country. Its lowbrow, populist films appealed to local aud ...

film studio, and one of the first sound films made in Argentina. It was a great success and launched the film career of the comedian

Luis Sandrini Luis Sandrini (22 February 1905 – 5 July 1980) was a prolific Argentine comic film actor and film producer. Widely considered one of the most respected and most acclaimed Argentine comedians by the public and critics. He has made over 80 appe ...

. In 2022, the film was included in Spanish magazine ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

''s list of the 20 best Argentine films of all time.

Synopsis

The film has traditional popular melodrama plot elements, and includes performances of tango songs. It depicts a family whose members are obsessed with the three national ''berretines'' (interests or hobbies) of

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

, football and cinema. (In the play the last ''berretín'' was radio.). The family is middle class and makes its living from a hardware store. The father complains that the hobbies lead the family to neglect business. In the end, the father himself succumbs to all three hobbies. It is one of the first Argentine films dealing with the themes of immigration (to Argentina).

Cast

The full cast was: *Luis Arata *

Luisa Vehil Luisa Vehil (November 12, 1912, Montevideo, Uruguay – October 24, 1991, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Uruguayan theater and movie actress who had a notable career in Argentina. She was an iconic figure in the Argentine theatre scene. Biogr ...

*Florindo Ferrario *

Benita Puértolas Benita Puértolas (died 4 September 1968, in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine film and theatre actress. She was the mother of the film actor Héctor Coire. Filmography * '' Lo que le pasó a Reynoso'' (1955) * ''La mujer desnuda'' (1955) * ' ...

*Héctor Quintanilla *Malena Bravo *Dolores Dardes * Miguel Ángel Lauri *Luis Díaz *Dora del Grande *Mario Danesi *

Homero Cárpena Homero Cárpena (14 February 1910 – 17 January 2001) was an Argentine film actor born in Mar del Plata. He appeared in 72 films between 1933 and 1972 although the bulk of his work was in the late 1930s and 1940s. He starred in '' El hombr ...

*Mario Mario *Trío Foccile *Marafiotti *

Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with ...

*Miguel Leme * Osvaldo Fresedo *Leonor Rinaldi (uncredited)

Production

''Los tres berretines'' was directed by

Enrique Telémaco Susini Enrique Telémaco Susini (January 31, 1891 – July 4, 1972) was an Argentine entrepreneur and media pioneer. In 1920, Susini led the effort for the first radio broadcast in Argentina, and subsequently established one of the earliest regular ra ...

and starring the local actors Luis Sandrini and

. The American cinematographer

John Alton John Alton (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Jacob Altmann, in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary, was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and wo ...

was not credited but may have played an important role in direction and cinematography. ''Los tres berretines'' was based on a hit play of the same name, in which the circus performer and actor Luis Sandrini played Eusebio, a brother with a dream of becoming a famous tango composer. Lumiton expanded his role in the film version. ''Los tres berretines'' was released on 19 May 1933 in the Ástor in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. It was the second Argentine film with an

optical sound Optical sound is a means of storing sound recordings on transparent film. Originally developed for military purposes, the technology first saw widespread use in the 1920s as a sound-on-film format for motion pictures. Optical sound eventually ...

track. The first was ''

¡Tango! ''¡Tango!'' is a 1933 Argentine musical romance film, the first film to be made in Argentina using optical sound technology (but not the first sound film.) Many existing stars of the Argentine stage and radio appeared in the film, but its success ...

'', released the week before.

Reception

The film, which cost 18,000 pesos to produce, earned over one million. Sandrini's performance made him the first local cinema star.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tres Berretines, Los 1933 films 1930s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films 1933 comedy films Argentine comedy films Films about immigration to Argentina