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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you stumble across ¿Conoces a tu mujer? on some obscure archive channel, don't expect a masterpiece. It's a weird little relic from 1931 that only early-cinema nerds will actually sit through.
Anyone hoping for slick modern pacing should run away immediately. But if you have a soft spot for stagey, loud Spanish comedies from the dawn of sound, this might actually tickle you. 🎬
The plot is basically a silly bet. A guy thinks he knows his wife perfectly, and his cynical friend bets him that she can be seduced in just a few days.
It’s based on an American play, which explains why everyone talks so much. Like, so much.
Miguel Ligero shows up and does his usual energetic thing. Honestly, he is the only reason the first half hour doesn't feel like watching paint dry.
There’s this one scene where a character is trying to look suave while smoking. He clearly inhales some ash and tries so hard not to cough, it's hilarious.
The sound quality is pretty rough, which is typical for 1931. Sometimes it sounds like they are speaking into a tin can underwater.
But there is a weird charm to how clunky the blocking is. People just stand in a semi-circle waiting for their turn to shout their lines.
It doesn't have the physical genius of Buster Keaton's One Week, but it tries its best with rapid-fire dialogue.
Let's talk about Emma Roldán. She has this glare that could literally melt glass, and she uses it constantly here.
The movie kinda falls apart in the last twenty minutes. The resolution just sort of... happens because they ran out of film, I guess.
Still, it's a fascinating look at how Spanish-language cinema was finding its feet back then.
Don't go in expecting greatness. Just enjoy the goofy outfits and the incredibly dramatic hand gestures. 🤷♂️