''La pequeña señora de Pérez'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "Little Mrs. Pérez") is a 1944 Argentine

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

of the classical era of Argentine cinema, directed by

Carlos Hugo Christensen Carlos Hugo Christensen (15 December 1914 in Santiago del Estero – 30 November 1999 in Rio de Janeiro) was an Argentina, Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer, an iconic figure of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, classical ...

and starring

Mirtha Legrand Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez (born 23 February 1927), known by her stage name Mirtha Legrand (; from the French , "the great"), is an Argentine actress and television presenter. With an 80-year career, Legrand is one of the most recognize ...

and

Juan Carlos Thorry Juan Carlos Thorry (June 28, 1908, in Coronel Pringles – February 12, 2000 in San Antonio de Padua), born José Antonio Torrontegui, was an Argentine film actor, tango musician and director, notable for his work during the Golden Age of Argen ...

. It tells the story of Julieta Ayala, a 17-year-old girl who drops out of high school to marry young doctor Carlos Pérez, only to soon re-enroll undercover after finding married life boring. At the 1945 Argentine Film Critics Association Awards, Legrand won the Silver Condor Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. A sequel, titled ''La señora de Pérez se divorcia'', was released in 1945.

Plot

17-year-old student Juliana Ayala pretends to be sick to miss school and is visited by young doctor Carlos Pérez, and soon a romantic interest develops between them. After a brief courtship, the couple marries and Julieta drops out of school to pursue life as a housewife. However, her insertion into the role of a married adult woman soon turns out to be monotonous and boring, consisting of trivial activities such as going to the hairdresser's or playing bridge. Missing her life at school, Julieta decides to secretly enroll again, posing as an orphan that lives with her guardian Dr. Pérez. The girl alternates between her social obligations as a married woman and her studies, which eventually leads her to fail in both areas. On the one hand, she constantly fails her exams because she does not have time to study, while the life she hides from her husband ends up causing suspicions and misunderstandings with him. When confronted by her teacher about her poor performance, Julieta lies, saying that she is forced to do all the chores at home, which makes him feel sorry for her and offer her a private teacher paid by him so that she can prepare for the next exam. The girl contacts the young professor who was recommended to her and they both meet at the

Parque Tres de Febrero Parque Tres de Febrero, popularly known as Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods), is an urban park of approximately 400 hectares (about 989 acres) located in the neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located between Libertador and F ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, where he is enchanted by the girl's beauty. Upon returning home from Palermo, Julieta is confronted by her husband, who has just called the girl's hairdresser and dressmaker and discovered that she has been lying about her activities outside the home. Julieta quickly replies that she had actually gone to visit her parents, but at that moment they come to visit and reveal that she was lying again. In tears, Julieta confesses that she had been in Palermo, but she does not get to say what she was doing because someone knocks on the door again. Carlos leaves the discussion for a moment to open the door and receives Julieta's private teacher, who was looking to talk to him—believing that he was her tutor—to ask for her hand. This worsens Carlos's suspicions, who angrily expels the young man and upon returning to the living room discovers that Julieta had left with her family. Julieta and Carlos spend two weeks apart, given the reluctance of the young woman to confess what she was doing in Palermo with the other man. One day before the exam that Julieta has been preparing for, Carlos is visited by her school teacher and by the private teacher, who explain the confusion. Julieta arrives at the anatomy exam and discovers that Carlos is the one who is evaluating. When he asks her about the heart, Julieta gives a sentimental answer about love and is immediately approved.

Cast

as Julieta Ayala *

as Dr. Carlos Pérez *

Miguel Gómez Bao Miguel Gómez Bao (1894 – 17 September 1961) was a Spanish-born Argentine actor, notable for his work during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. He was born in Malaga, Spain. He appeared in films, such as '' Amalia'', (1936), '' Safo, hist ...

as César, Julieta's father *

Felisa Mary Felisa Mary (1892–1956) was a Spanish-born Argentinian film actress.Finkielman p.233 She appeared in more than forty films during her career, which coincided with the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema. Selected filmography * '' When the Heart Sin ...

as Carolina, Julieta's mother * Tito Gómez as Professor Jacinto Mauri * Marianita Martí as Sabina Perales, Julieta's school friend * Diego Martínez as Professor Lagos * Cirilo Etulain as Professor Solís * María Luisa Notar as Olvido, the maid of the Ayala

Reception

Writing for '' El Mundo'', Calki described the film as "well done and of agile development... within its superficiality, an uncommon comic efficiency stands out."

References

External links

* 1944 films 1940s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Films directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen Argentine romantic comedy films 1944 romantic comedy films 1940s Argentine films Films scored by George Andreani Spanish-language romantic comedy films {{1940s-Argentina-film-stub