Denver, Colo., Feb 6, 2013 / 12:58 pm
The magic of one of the most popular Spanish Catholic films of the 20th century has been resurrected in a Mexican remake that is now available to the English-speaking public.
"Marcelino's Miracle" is based on the successful classic film adaptation of the 1955 short story "Marcelino Pan y Vino" by Jose Maria Sanchez. The story tells the adventures of an orphaned boy who was abandoned as a baby by his mother at the doorstep of a Franciscan monastery.
The original Spanish film, directed by Ladislao Vajda, was a success at the Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals, where child actor Pablito Calvo was given special recognition for his role as Marcelino.
The story begins as a group of friars discover a newborn baby abandoned at the doorstep of their poor monastery, which has been devastated by war. Unable to seek out assistance because of the violence, they decide to raise him themselves.
As he grows, Marcelino entertains himself by pulling pranks on the friars, together with his best friend Enrique. Upon noticing his friend's close bond with his mother, Marcelino begins to feel a deep longing to find his own.
An attack by the revolutionaries leaves the small village where the monastery is located in shambles, causing the death of Enrique's mother. A frightened Marcelino hides in the only place where he was warned by the friars not to enter-the monastery attic.
A life-sized crucifix has been stored up in the attic where Marcelino takes refuge, but he is still too young to recognize it. Thinking that the man on the cross is hungry, he brings him bread and wine and shares with him his deep desire to meet his mother.
Although the remake is set in the Mexican Revolution, producer and screenwriter Mikel Garcia explains that the central plot of the story, the relationship between little Marcelino and Jesus, "is the same as the original version."
"While in the 1955 version it was a Communist mayor who wanted to take the monastery away from the friars, in the new version it is a Mexican revolutionary," Garcia explains.
The new remake with subtitles in English is now available on DVD at http://www.marcelinofilm.com
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