Nacional III is a Spanish comedy film from 1982 directed by

Luis García Berlanga Luis García-Berlanga Martí (12 June 1921 – 13 November 2010) was a Spain , Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema, his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture ...

and written by him together with

Rafael Azcona Rafael Azcona Fernández (24 October 1926 – 24 March 2008) was an awarded Spanish screenwriter and novelist who has worked with some of the best Spanish and international filmmakers. Azcona won five Goya Awards during his career, includi ...

, the third part of the trilogy about the Leguineche family after

La escopeta nacional ''La escopeta nacional'' (in English, ''The National Shotgun'') is a 1978 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga. The first installment in a critically and commercially successful trilogy, the picture is an indictment of the legacy ...

(1978) and

Patrimonio nacional Patrimonio Nacional ( en, National Heritage) is a Spanish autonomous agency, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Presidency, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish State and used by the Monarch and the Spanish Royal Fami ...

(1981). It was shot in Madrid,

Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. History It was founde ...

and

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...

(France), and tells the story of how, after the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

of 23 February and the imminent electoral victory of the Socialists, the Leguineche decide to take their money out of Spain to protect it. He proposed to make a fourth part about the Leguineche saga, but was frustrated for various reasons. Rafael Azcona and Luis Garcia Berlanga decided to shoot La vaquilla (another film about the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

) first, and the death of the main actor in the saga,

Luis Escobar Kirkpatrick Luis Escobar y Kirkpatrick, 7th Marquess of Marismas del Guadalquivir (5 September 1908 – 16 February 1991), was a Spanish nobleman and actor. He was an actor, playwright, and theatre director who advanced the interests of Teatro María ...

, put an end to the project.

Story

The Marquess of Leguineche has sold his palace for a very humble amount of money and has moved with Luis José, his son, to a flat he has bought next to the Retiro, in Alfonso XII street. They are accompanied by Segundo and Viti, his usual servants, and Father Calvo. Luis José has been separated from his wife, Chus, who is in

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

, on his father's estate for some years. The story begins on 23 February 1981, in the middle of a coup d'état. While Luis José and Segundo plan to patent the "Platoespaña" that will leave them many benefits with the World Cup, Father Calvo longs for a triumph of the coup and Viti, turned from a servant into a lover of the marquess (with the total indifference of her husband), takes care of the house as the owner in pectore that she is. A telegram notifies them of the sudden death of Chus' father. The whole family moves to Extremadura, to attend the funeral and see if they can get something out of the inheritance. Luis José and Chus reconcile. Fearing that the socialists would come to power, Chus, following Luis José's instructions, decides to sell his part of the inheritance, convert it into cash and evade the capital to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. They try to do this through a convent and a specialized courier, but finally they will try to camouflage it in the plaster of Luis José, who will travel to

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...

on a pilgrimage for the sick.

External links

*
Nacional III entry at Berlanga Film Museum

References

1982 comedy-drama films 1982 films Spanish comedy-drama films Films directed by Luis García Berlanga 1980s Spanish-language films Catalan-language films 1982 comedy films 1982 drama films 1980s Spanish films {{1980s-Spain-film-stub