Every night is a great night when you are Raphael!
Spanish superstar Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez, better known is Raphael, is at the center of Álex de la Iglesia's My Great Night. In fact, the film takes its title from one of Raphael's most iconic songs, "Mi Gran Noche."
Here's Raphael singing his heart out in a 1967 Eurovision appearance.
The Divo de Linares goes cabaret here, performing an Spanish language version of an Edith Piaf standard ("La Foule").
He has a few other nicknames, the Nightingale of Linares and El Niño. Raphael also has a pretty extensive filmography. Here he is as the Angel in El Ángel (1969).
And in Digan Que Lo Digan / Let Them Talk (1968)
Here he is singing "My Way" on a 2010 Christmas Eve Special.
Just one more chance to see Raphael in all his glory in My Great Night!
MY
GREAT NIGHT screening times:
Sep. 20, Sunday, 9:00 pm, SCOTIABANK 14
Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia's My Great Night (aka, My Big Night, aka, Mi Gran Noche) premieres tonight, but it's not Iglesia's first appearance at TIFF. Iglesia's scary clown movie / meditation on the Spanish Civil War, The Last Circus premiered at TIFF.Since 1993, four of his films have played Midnight Madness: Accion Mutante (1993); The Day Of The Beast (1995); Perdita Durango (1998); and Witching & Bitching (2013). And Iglesia produced last year's harrowing Vanguard film, Shrew's Nest (2014), directed by Esteban Roel & Juanfer Andrés. Iglesia's films have won multiple Goya awards, Spain's national film award presented by the Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de España.
The first film Iglesia directed was his own short, "Mirandas Asesinas" in 1991. And then, Pedro Almodóvar produced Iglesia's Accion Mutante, giving Iglesia his first big break while simultaneously hurting the brains of at least forty cinephiles. (Hopefull,y they have recovered by now).
But while Iglesia's films have a unifying darkly comedic sensibility and a similar aesthetic, Iglesia has worked in a wide variety of genres from horror to an homage to Spaghetti Westerns, 800 Bullets, to a comparatively restrained thriller, The Oxford Murders (2008). Also, again, terrifying clowns.
"Never mention the terrifying clowns, Elijah. Never mention Sammy Petrillo, either."
And before he had even written My Great Night, he had released Dying of Laughter (1999), a dark satire about comedy duo, Nino and Bruno. They were very successful in the 1970s, but boy do they hate each other now. (If this seems familiar to you, maybe you're thinking of Martin & Lewis or maybe you saw it during the Iglesia retrospective at TIFF Bell Lightbox last winter. God help you if you're thinking of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo). And their envy and hate comes to a head at... a big live television extravaganza!
Jazz Hands!
Iglesia himself worked in television, early on as a production designer, and now as director, screenwriter and producer. He's done several shorts, including, "The Tragedy of Francisco Franco." And he even had his own television series, Plutón B.R.B. Nero (2008-9), in which having turfed the Earth, humanity seeks another habitable planet.
Let's take a look!
So enjoy tonight's screening of My Great Night, and ponder how much of the film, which Iglesia both wrote and directed, comes from Iglesia's personal experience. I don't expect bumbling spacemen, mutants, Perdida Durango or even terrifying clowns. Well, maybe terrifying clowns. But there will be hilarity, amazing hair and the famous Spanish singer, Raphael.
These ladies are ready. Are you?
MY
GREAT NIGHT screening times:
Sep. 11, Friday, 7:15 pm, SCOTIABANK 2
Sep. 13, Sunday, 4:30 pm, SCOTIABANK 2
Sep. 20, Sunday, 9:00 pm, SCOTIABANK 14
"Did you hear, My Great Night plays tonight?" "Dammit, I won't have time to volumize my hair!"
Get your sequined tux or gown out, volumize your hair and memorize all your cues 'cause My Great Night premieres tonight!
This is Álex de la Iglesia's first film in the Vanguard program but his wild horror has been a staple over at Midnight Madness. And while there are no witches or accion mutantes, he's bringing his visual flair to his satire of a big television studio's New Year's Eve special that's headed towards fiasco.
Iglesia is also bringing Spanish singing superstar, Raphael. And, why yes, the film does seem to have the same title as Raphael's hit song, "Mi Gran Noche." Get in the mood with Raphael's 1967 television performance of the song:
Álex de la Iglesia returns to TIFF this year with My Great Night (aka, My Big Night). Iglesia is a long time Midnight Madness alumnus, with four films having played that program since 1993. His most recent was Witching & Bitching in 2013. This year Iglesia brings his latest movie to Vanguard. And there are no witches, mutants or beasts in sight. From the TIFF.net description:
An audaciously inventive ensemble comedy
brimming with showbiz satire, the
latest from Spain's madcap maestro Álex
de la Iglesia...is a hoot.
Featuring a cavalcade of Iglesia regulars, My
Great Night offers an all-access backstage pass
to a TV variety show so full of hitches
and snags its participants will be lucky if
they survive the taping.
There appears to be a big Bob Fosse-esque production number and at least one pro wrestler/pop dream-boat.
So, you know, there could be witches, mutants and beasts. There is definitely a lovely poster.
This is a really sweet poster.
The trailer is similarly in Spanish. But even if you don't speak Spanish it's still plenty of fun.
MY
GREAT NIGHT screening times:
Sep. 11, Friday, 7:15 pm, SCOTIABANK 2
Sep. 13, Sunday, 4:30 pm, SCOTIABANK 2
Sep. 20, Sunday, 9:00 pm, SCOTIABANK 14
