Under the yoke

To carry out this project, the Balet y Blay studios brought in cartoonist Arturo Moreno and handed over the script to Julián Pemartín, author of Teoría de la Falange. Garbancito is a young Catholic orphan boy who lives in a barn with his goat Peregrina. One day, the ogre Caravaca kidnaps his friends and just like Don Quixote, he courageously sets off to save them. Even though the film is influenced by the Fleischer brothers and Disney’s Silly Symphonies, the soundtrack composed by Jacinto Guerrero gives it a typically Spanish edge. The film was popular before it even hit the screens, due to the tale written by the same two authors. It was also given a higher budget than live action films made at the time, which was quickly recouped through its range of by-products. Shot in Barcelona with a crew of professionals who were learning as they went along, the film was sent to London for editing. The rolls of film then flew over the blood and fires of Europe one more time, escaping the bombardments, and the feature was released in theatres in 1945.

Programa

Garbancito de la Mancha, Arturo Moreno, Spain, 1945, 68’