''El tesoro de la isla Maciel'' (''The Treasure of Maciel Island'') is a

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

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 ...

directed by Manuel Romero during the

Golden Age of Argentine cinema The Golden Age of Argentine cinema (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Época de Oro del cine argentino'' or other equivalent names), sometimes known interchangeably as the broader classical or classical-industrial period (Spanish: ''período clásico- ...

Production

The 73-minute black and white

Lumiton Lumiton is a former film production company and current museum located in Munro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lumiton Studios was founded in 1932 at the start of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. Its lowbrow, populist films appealed to local audienc ...

film was directed and written by Manuel Romero. It is an adaptation of a popular stage play. Music is by Rodolfo Sciammarella and cinematography by Hugo Chiesa. The film was released in Argentina on 8 July 1941. It stars Luis Arata, Severo Fernández and

Alberto Bello Alberto Bello (1897–1963) was an Argentine actor who appeared in more than 40 films during his career including '' Madame Bovary'' (1947).Goble p.159 He committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. Selected filmography * '' Marriage in ...

Synopsis

A retired sea captain is profoundly bored. His sons hope to wake him up by staging a fake treasure hunt. This turns into a difficult journey to the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

islands. The family are unaware that their backyard holds a valuable oil well. The farce is fast-paced, only slightly hampered by a romantic subplot.

Reception

''El Mundo'' said the film achieved some popular comic effect. Although void of any cinematographic merit, the dynamism of its action could not be denied. The show was amusing. Manrupe and Portela said of the film that it was a simple work derived from a farce, but there were some moments of humor from a runaway Luis Arata and an insufferable Severo Fernández. Another critic called the film puerile and verbose.

Cast

The cast included: *

Luis Arata Luis Arata (1895–1967) was an Argentine stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of th ...

as Lorenzo García * Severo Fernández as Juan Tunín *

as Captain Pedro Santini * Silvana Roth as María Santini * Juan Mangiante as Bianchi * Alfredo Jordan as Alejandro * María Armand as Antonia Santini * Gerardo Rodríguez as Doctor Carlos Juárez *

Cayetano Biondo Cayetano Amadeo Biondo (1902–1986) was an Argentine film actor. He starred in some 65 films between 1936 and his death in 1986 spanning 50 years of Argentine cinema. Career Biondo made his debut in 1936 in the film ''Santos Vega'' and in 193 ...

as Professor Curot * Fernando Campos as manager of a shipping company * Jimmy Hart as American engineer

References

Citations Sources * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tesoro De La Isla Maciel, El 1941 films 1940s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Argentine comedy films 1941 comedy films Films directed by Manuel Romero Argentine films based on plays Spanish-language comedy films