TWO BOXES: TELEVISED TERROR IN FRANCO’S SPAIN

4 stars

Transmission Video Releasing via Radiance. Blu Ray

A duo of short films from Spain – If you are of a certain age in the UK then chances are you will remember the broadcast of LA CABINA (1972). You may even think you imagined it as it wasn’t easy to track down (I remember viewing a poor rendering of it some years later). It was shown on 25th July 1981 as part of the famous BBC2 late night horror double bills. The sort of broadcast you would go to school on the Monday and ask your mates’ “did you see…”

Just 35 minutes long THE TELEPHONE BOX starts with a lorry dropping off a simple red booth onto a spot in a public place. Fixed to the ground – the glass is cleaned and they drive off.

Life carries on around it. A father walking his son to the school bus. Wandering back he decides to use the phone – but it doesn’t appear to work. The door has swung shut … and he discovers he is trapped in there.

A couple of men try to open the door with no joy. A crowd gathers. Others attempt and fail to free this now panicking imprisoned man. Then suddenly the men with the lorry turn up and load the booth and him onto the back of their vehicle and drive away…

José Luis López Vázquezplays the trapped man, ably portraying the fear, desperation and even resignation. He tries to talk to the people outside the booth but they can’t hear him through the glass. Apparently this was a well known film in Spain and the actor revised his part in an advert for a telecoms company some years later. A simple concept, beautifully made by writer/director Antonio Mercero, this is actually quite a bleak movie, with possibly a deeper meaning.

The second outing on this Blu ray is EL TELEVISOR (1984), which I don’t think I have seen before. Enrique (Narciso Ibáñez Menta) is a simple ‘grey’ man who values punctuality, honesty and family love. He has a wife and two children and is an accountant in a bank. He works hard to ensure his family has a good life as he wants to provide for them, which can mean working later.

He keeps putting off his one dream – to buy a television set. He even waits until colour tv is available. He saves up for his 24 inch dream. It finally arrives. He changes from a devoted and diligent worker to a man obsessed. He starts taking time off work and even watches the test card. As his wife worries about him he begins to lose his grip on reality. You know this ending going to end well. At 68 mins this more a short feature and was well directed and written by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador – who is probably best known for his 1976 movie WOULD YOU KILL A CHILD? (which Radiance has on it’s schedule for October).

It is great that Transmission/Radiance are releasing these – as they are the kinds of outings that would just disappear from view otherwise. This is a limited edition of 5,000.

Steve Kirkham

EXTRAS

Two audio commentaries – on La cabina with writers and film-makers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton; on El televisor with critics and horror experts Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons

Interviews with: Spanish film expert Antonio Lazaro-Reboll on horror in Francoist Spain; archival with co-screenwriter of La cabina Jose Luis Garci

Archival La cabina location featurette with Antonio Mercero Santos

Archival press conference with Narciso Ibanez Serrandor promoting El televisor

O-card and reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Justin Coffee and Limited edition booklet featuring new writing from Alex Mendibil and Paul Martinovic