''Calzonzin Inspector'' is a 1974 Mexican

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 ...

and live action comic adaptation directed and starred by

Alfonso Arau Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (; born 11 January 1932) is a Mexican filmmaker and actor. He worked as an actor and director in both Mexican and Hollywood productions for over 40 years, before his international breakthrough with the 1992 film ''Li ...

. It was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

47th Academy Awards The 47th Academy Awards were presented Tuesday, April 8, 1975, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best films of 1974. The ceremonies were presided over by Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, Sammy Davis Jr., an ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Background

The film is based on the titular character from the famous Mexican comic book ''Los Supermachos'' created and drawn by Mexican cartoonist

Rius Eduardo Humberto del Río García (June 20, 1934 – August 8, 2017), better known by his pen name Rius, was a Mexican intellectual, political cartoonist and writer born in Zamora, Michoacán, Zamora, Michoacán. One of the most popular Mexican ...

, who co-wrote the screenplay.''Calzónzin Inspector''
at IMDB.com " Cazonci" or "Caltzontzin" was the term used in the

Purépecha The Purépecha ( ) are a group of Indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the derogatory term " Tarascan", an exonym, app ...

culture, to name their emperors. The film, which is influenced by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...

's ''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' (, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the play was revised for an 1842 edition. Base ...

'', centers around two poor Mexicans who are mistaken for government inspectors from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

by the corrupt mayor of a small town. It is a humorous political critique, aimed squarely at the then ruling party Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and its

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

s'', at a time when freedom of speech in politics was highly restricted. There are at least two versions of the film, with one having some scenes deleted by State censors, the most notable of which depicts the killing of a renegade farmer by a police officer, who shoots the farmer in the back. This is set in the modern day (the 1970s).

Plot

When the mayor of a fictional town in rural Mexico learns that an incognito inspector is sent by the Government to supervise him, he tries in all the ways to intercept him in order to avoid him discovering his corrupt ways. Almost at the same time a poor Mexican guy, called Caltzontzin that looks like a beggar with a Mexican sarape, arrives to town and soon is confused with the aforementioned inspector. Then the Mayor does all he can to try to show Caltzontzin that the town is running fine, since closing the local bar and putting in jail all his patrons, and using them for different purposes (like showing them in jail, then to play a soccer game in the local park and to even as bed them as the sick people in a hospital), making the students of a closed school to go back to attend classes, make a goofy representation of Adam and Eve in Paradise and making them to sing in front of the Inspector, through this backfires to the wife of the Mayor when she realizes that the pianist of the cantina made the children to sing "Aventurera" (a bolero song written by ''Agustin Lara'' about a prostitute). Soon, the other inhabitants of the town do whatever they can to get the attention of Caltzontzin as long as they demand some help from him to put down the Mayor, making a colorful parade in front of his hotel and giving him some letters that probes the Major's corruption. Caltzontzin and his friend Chon confides to send the information to a reporter for a diary only to have his letter intercepted by the people from the Mail Office (concerned that this letter would go to the Governor) and soon the Major discovers Caltzontzin's true identity. Caltzontzin is condemned to be tied and left to be killed by a bull during the town's bulls parade. However Chon manages to free him and using bullfighting tools manages to make a goofy but effective bullfighting game to keep them alive, until, when trying to kill the bull with the estoque they unexpectedly touch a dynamite detonator left by the Major oppositors making the arena to blow in pieces, while Caltzontzin leaves the town literally flying, the real Inspector arrives to town to encounter a dismayed and shocked Mayor, along with his people, pledging for help.

Cast

as Caltzontzin * Arturo Alegro as Caltzonzin's friend * Pancho Córdoba as The Major * Virma González as Enedina * Héctor Ortega as Periodista * Carmen Salinas as Doña Eme * Carolina Barret as Doña Pomposa * Mario García 'Harapos' as Lechuzo

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calzonzin Inspector 1974 films 1974 comedy films 1970s Spanish-language films Mexican comedy films Mexican films based on plays Films directed by Alfonso Arau Films based on The Government Inspector Live-action films based on comics Films based on Mexican comics 1970s Mexican films

Background

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links