Deprisa, deprisa

Deprisa, Deprisa
Directed by	Carlos Saura
Written by	Blanca Astiasu Carlos Saura
Produced by	Elias Querejeta Carlos Saura
Starring	Berta Socuéllamos, José Antonio Valdelomar, Jesús Arias, José María Hervás Roldán
Cinematography	Teo Escamilla
Edited by	Jean Hamon
Release dates	February 1981 (premiere at BIFF) 2 April, 1981
Running time	107
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Deprisa, Deprisa (English: Hurry, Hurry!) is a 1981 Spanish film by Carlos Saura. In the English-speaking world, it has been released under the titles Faster, Faster and Fast, Fast. It tells the story of a gang of juvenile delinquents.

Synopsis

Pablo and Meca two young urban delinquents, live from day to day by a series of robberies, mostly car thefts. During one such a robbery, the car’s owner catches the two in the act. They roll up the windows and lock the doors to prevent intrusion. Helplessly trapped inside the troublesome vehicle by a mob that has now closed in around them, the pair forces a clear path through the crowd by brandishing a gun, before making their escape into the street. However, the stolen car only proves to be the first step in a more elaborate scheme. Spotting an attractive waitress named Ángela at a local cafeteria, Pablo is immediately captivated by the receptive (and equally restless) young woman, who soon becomes his lover, promising to stay together always. Pablo teaches Angela to shoot a gun and subsequently, inducts her into their gang after an afternoon of makeshift target shooting.

The gang, now consisting of four members: Pablo, Meca, Ángela, and Sebastian or "Sebas". Sebas has joined the group to help in a series of more ambitious thefts, but he is initially unhappy with the presence of a girl in the band. Pablo, with Meca’s support, assures him that Ángela can hold her own.

In the first robbery, that of a factory office on the outskirts of Madrid, Ángela, disguised as a boy with a mustache, serves as a lookout. In the second holdup, she shots one of the guards who has fired at the gang’s car. At the conclusion of each of these robberies, Meca brings the robbery car, usually a stolen one, to a deserted area and set it ablaze. He stands by the side of the fire and enjoys viewing the flames.

Alternately spending their idle time at discotheques and video arcades, acting on their impulsive whims, and succumbing to the intoxication of drug use, the emboldened quartet begins to stage an ever-escalating series of hold-ups throughout the city.

Their share of the money from the two successful robberies enables Ángela and Pablo to buy a new apartment on the outskirts of the city. It is from this location that the gang plans a third robbery, the assault on a branch bank in one of the more congested middle class neighborhoods of Madrid. During this robbery, Sebas kills one of the guards and, in turn, is gunned down outside the bank by a squad of police who have surrounded the area. Pablo, Meca, and Angela manage to make a gateway, but Pablo has been seriously wounded and is bleeding profusely.

Ángela brings him back to the apartment to nurse him while Meca disposes of the gateway car in the usual manner. The black cloud of the smoke attacks a police helicopter, and Meca is killed as he resists the arrest. Understanding the seriousness of Pablo’s wound, Ángela’s call a doctor who, upon arriving at the apartment, confirms the gravity of Pablo’s condition. He has been shot in the liver and must be brought to a hospital if he is to survive. Refusing, she offers him a large bundle of cash if he will treat Pablo right there. Taking the money in his black satchel, the physician promises to return shortly with instruments fro surgery. Hours pass, but the doctor does not come back. Pablo, who remains unconscious, lies immobile on the bed. He stops breathing while Ángela sits in the darkened room staring at him. When she realizes he is dead, she fills her own duffel bag with the remaining money from the robbery and walks of the apartment. She disappears into the shadows of the approaching night walking towards the city.

Cast

• Berta Socuéllamos - Ángela
• José Antonio Valdelomar - Pablo
• Jesús Arias - Meca
• José María Hervás Roldán - Sebas
• María del Mar Serrano - Meca's girlfriend
• Consuelo Pascual - Pablo's grandmother

Analysis

Deprisa, Deprisa is a raw and sobering portrait of a generation at an existential crossroads, struggling to find mooring and direction in an uncertain climate of transformative, social revolution, as the nation emerged from the repression of fascism towards the liberalization of democracy. Inevitably, it is this dichotomy that is reflected in the recurring image of passing trains that bisect the horizon - a perennial view from the public housing suburb outside the city where Pablo and Ángela live - a visual bifurcation that illustrates, not only their socioeconomic marginality, but also exposes their irreparable moral fissure.

Reception

Deprisa, Deprisa was a critical and financial success. Winner of the Golden Bear a the 1981 Berlin International Film Festival, the film opened to excellent reviews in Madrid and was producer Elias Querejeta’s largest grossing production of the fifteen years of his collaboration with director Carlos Saura. The film was also ensnared in controversy, In France and West Germany there was talk of its being banned due to the view that the film glorified violence and drug culture. Eventually, however, it was release with restrictive classifications in both countries.

References

• D'Lugo, Marvin, The Films of Carlos Saura, Princenton University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-691-031428