Alfredo Landa's serious vehicle as a mature man who in order to complete his meager salary as a glazier, he works in a peculiar and implausible job . A sad drama set in 20's Spain , that does not work as it should , resulting to be an uneven film that works at times , above all due to Landa's great performance as the eternal loser. Paco, called El Seguro (Alfredo Landa) or l'infaillible , is a married glazier who also works for Don Federico (Eduardo Calvo) as a stud for wet nurses who he impregnates so they can have milk in their breasts. However, he and his wife (Christine Pascal) are unable to have children. But then a competitor to his peculiar job emerges, the impulsive, drunk and always cheerful, Pocapena (Patrick Dewaere) . Along the way , Paco has relationships with strangers who, like him, feel alone and lost in the big city.
Paco , el seguro (1979) turns out to be an uneven film that works at times , above all due to Landa's great performance as the eternal loser , an intimate and sensitive role . Based on the novel of the same name by Andrés Laszlo , dealing with an offbeat , unpleasant plot : young low-class women want to be hired as nannies by rich families , to get milk, these women ask help to worker Paco to be pregnant , then Paco, whose wife is sterile, accepts and earns money that way. Here director Didier Hauperin makes his first film commercial with results really downbeat and mediocre . Providing an intimate role for Alfredo Landa in a curious contrast to vitalist Patrick Dewaere , as well as the excellent characterization of that underworld world . Excellent interpretation of Landa in a sober, sour, serene characterization, which contrasts with the vitality that Patrick Dewaere bringing to his role . This Paco el Seguro was misunderstood by the critics who take it as one of Alfredo Landa's typical comedies, when it's really a dramatic movie , it obtained limited success and contains an adequate description low-classes , being a simple portrait of a past times , in the Twenties . Its nostalgic look has some passable moments that reflect a Spain in economic developing during the years when the action takes place , including bewildering happenings , including atmospheric sets . The flick packs disconcerting incidents , grotesque situations , a lot of simulated intercourse and above all , it especially displays great interpretations . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly acceptable . It shows the seedy bars , poor environments and the slums full of prostitutes from the sleazy neighborhood . ¨Paco , El Seguro (1979)" is a walk through the underworld of big city led by the peculiar loser , role magnetically played by Alfredo Landa, a guy who -like the characters in Noir novels- wants to get out of his own misery , while keeps relations with other characters of dubious aspect.
There are some nice good actors , playing eccentric characters , making a cosy fit . This is a dramatic film , though average , a Spanish/French co-production with the great Alfredo Landa who really excels as a depressed and worried man . Nevertheless, the film lacks some bite to finish working , which does not mean that it is not interesting enough. Alfredo Landa is well accompanied by a great support cast . Alfredo was one of the best and more popular Spanish actors and creator a cinematic subgenre : Landismo. His long career is formed by 110 films for forty years . In his first period through the 60s he starred secondary comical roles in notorious titles as El Verdugo by Berlanga , Ninette y un Señor de Murcia by Fernando Fernan Gomez , and No somos de piedra by Manuel Summers .After the successful No desearas el vecino del quinto by Ramon Fernandez , he performed over 30 comedies in Spanish style : "a la Española" , creating the "Landismo", including titles as Prestamela 15 dias , No desearas la mujer del vecino , Simon contamos contigo , Guapo heredero busca esposa , Dormir ligar todo es empezar , No firmes mas letras cielo , Vente a ligar al Oeste , Jenaro el de los 14 , Manolo La Nuit , Un curita cañon , El reprimido . His third period starts with El puente by J. A. Bardem , being directed by prestigious filmmakers as Jose Luis Garci in Las verdes praderas , El crack I, El crack II , Cancion de cuna ; Antonio Mercero in La proxima estacion ; Luis Garcia Berlanga in La vaquilla ; Basilio Martin Patino directed him in Los parasos perdidos , Jose Luis Borau in Tata mia and J. L Cuerda in El bosque animado . And standing out important characters in Los Santos Inocentes by Mario Camus , Don Quijote TV series and El Rey del rio by Manuel Gutierrez Aragon .
This ¨Paco , el seguro¨displays a very good support casting giving decent interpretations with three fine French actors : Patrick Dewaere , Christine Pascal and Jean Bouise . As trivia , to explain these two important French actors : Patrick Dewaere , Christine Pascal committed suicide a few years later . And a lot of brief performances and cameos from Spanish players ; in fact , one of the main distractions of the film is to discover what notorious secondaries will appear next , such as : Eduardo Calvo , José Lifante, Ismael Merlo , Ángel Alcázar, George Rigaud , José Riesgo, Cristina Sánchez Pascual , Emilio Fornet , among others . It contains evocative cinematography by Gilberto Azevedo shot in filming locations from Torrelodones, Madrid, Madrid, and Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Didier Haudepin. He was a prodigy child whose main role was in ¨Cotolay¨ . He has only directed three films : ¨Those Were the Days¨ , ¨Elsa Elsa¨and ¨Paco el Seguro¨. Rating : 4.5/10 . Only for Alfredo Landa fans.
