| Los Tarantos | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Francisco Rovira Beleta |
| Written by | Francisco Rovira Beleta Alfredo Mañas |
| Starring | Antonio Gades Carmen Amaya |
| Cinematography | Massimo Dallamano |
| Edited by | Emilio Rodríguez |
| Music by | Andrés Batista Fernando García Morcillo Emilio Pujol José Solá |
Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Los Tarantos is a 1963 Spanish musical drama film directed byFrancisco Rovira Beleta. It was nominated for anAcademy Award in theBest Foreign Film category.[1]
The film is based on the playLa historia de los Tarantos written by Alfredo Mañas, and inspired byRomeo and Juliet byWilliam Shakespeare.
The love between two gypsies, Juana La Zoronga and Rafael El Taranto, from different families inBarcelona, is thwarted by the enmity between their respective parents. Rafael sees Juana dance at a gypsy wedding and is captivated by her beauty and charm. They fall in love, aided by their younger siblings, who are secretly friends and sympathetic to the young lovers.
Juana earns the respect of Rafael's formidable mother, Angustias, through her spirit and grace in flamenco. However, her father Rosendo, an old beau of Rafael's mother, remains obstinate despite the pleas of Juana, Rafael, and Angustias. Juana's father offers her to his colleague, Curro, to make her forget about her romance with Rafael. But neither Juana nor Rafael can forget their love. Curro becomes arrogant, killing Rafael's friend Mojigondo and beating Juana when he suspects she has been meeting with Rafael. Desperate, Juana seeks Rafael out in his dovecote, and they make love, planning to elope the following day. However, Curro, incited by Juana's brother Sancho, finds them together and kills them both. Rafael's brother subsequently hunts Curro down in his stables and kills him.
Angustias and Rosendo are united in their grief, and Juana's younger brother comforts Rafael's younger sister, showing that the feud will not continue any further.