Der Dickkopf

Autumn of 1857, Beleño (a little town of the Principality of Asturias, north to Spain). Pedro is a 42-year-old widower farmer called Pedro Pinzales Cueto, nicknamed El Cabezota (Alvaro De Luna) (Spanish for "obstinate") who lives with his little child Pedrín (Manrique) , nicknamed El Cabezota 2 , cultivating the vegetable garden of their ancestors and hunting birds , but their pacific way of life is changed when the government enacts a new law to educate all kiddies of the country , including those in the rural villages . But this discussion alters after the arrival of the teacher named Ana Garcia (the beauty Jacqueline Andere who starred Buñuel's Angel exterminador) a charming woman who attempts to teach the children to have culture and knowledges . Although El Cabezota insists in his decision , Pedrín see in the teacher the mummy that he never had and accepts to go the school , not knowing the consequences that it will have for everybody. As he establishment of obligatory school for children faces off a father and his little son...

Emotive and enjoyable dramedy about a child and his father with engaging interpretation , adequate cinematography and acceptable direction . The main axis of the film results to be the establishment by the liberal government of a warrant to end with the lack of education and ignorance by means of the obligatory school for children and then an obstinate father denies to send his child to the school in order to care the farm and to learn all the same things that he know . The film contains human drama , emotion , amusing events , complemented with brief touches of humor . These elements provide the setting for this period piece set in XIX century , shot in Cangas de Onis , Asturias , giving it its own special quality and ambient . In addition , there is brief exploration about way of life on a rural community in the past Centuries , in which religion and the Catholic spirituality were really taken root in the Spanish society . There stands out the enjoyable interpretation , atmospheric photograpy and evocative production design . The recently deceased Alvaro De Luna gives an outstanding acting as El Cabezota , a country man with a golden heart but without culture nor education, and he , eventually , doesn't accepts the law . The fine protagonists are well accompanied by a fine support cast of familiar faces such as : Manuel Alexandre , Antonio Gamero , Francisco Guijar , Pablo Sanz and Emilio Rodriguez .

The picture was professionally directed by Francisco Lara Polop . It won some prizes as Berlin International Film Festival 1983 Winner C.I.F.E.J. Award - Honorable Mention Francisco Lara Polop and Moscow International Film Festival 1983 Winner USSR Ministery of Education Award . Francisco Lara's passable direction is well crafted , here he's less cynical and more inclined towards a family fare . Polop was an expert on comedy , though he directed other genres . Talented and versatile writer/director made all kinds of genres as Comedy : Le llamaban J.R. , Adulterio nacional , La masajista vocacional, La mujer del juez , Virilidad a la Española ; Action : La patria del rata ; Erotic : La masajista vocacional , Historia de S , Climax , Secretos de alcoba , Cristina y la reconversion sexual and directed a terror film as ¨The monk¨, his last movie . His best film was a Giallo : ¨La mansion bajo la niebla¨ or ¨Scream¨, it is his first and the best film directed along with the prolific filmmaker Pedro Lazaga . Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . This is an agreeable story , funny flick , though in some moment falls flat and it will appeal to family film enthusiasts .