''Juan José'' is an 1895 melodramatic play by the Spanish writer Joaquín Dicenta. It was first staged at the Teatro de la Comedia in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

on 25 October 1895. The film adaptation became noted for its subversive

social criticism Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general. Social criticism of the Enlightenment The origin of modern ...

and was often banned. A tradition developed of staging the play on

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

. Between 1895 and 1939 it was estimated to be the second most performed play in Spain.Thatcher Gies p.328

Synopsis

A labourer violently quarrels with his employer over a woman.

Film adaptation

In 1928 the play was adapted into a film ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' directed by

Adelqui Migliar Adelqui Migliar (5 August 1891 – 6 August 1956), also known as Adelqui Millar, was a Chilean film actor, director, writer and producer. He appeared in 31 silent films between 1916 and 1928. He also directed 24 films between 1922 and 1954. ...

for the British company Whitehall Films. It featured a mixed cast of Spanish and British actors, and was shot on location in Spain.

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachel. ''The History of British Film: Volume IV, 1918–1929''. Routledge, 1997. * Thatcher Gies, David. ''The Theatre in Nineteenth-Century Spain''. Cambridge University Press, 2005. 1895 plays Spanish plays adapted into films Plays set in Spain {{1890s-play-stub