Estrellados

Plot

Canuto Cuadratín, a bumbling and naive gas station attendant from a small town, travels to Hollywood accompanying Elvira Rosas and her overbearing mother, who are determined to make Elvira a movie star. While Elvira quickly catches the eye of a suave matinée idol named Larry Mitchell, Canuto finds himself accidentally stumbling into film sets and causing chaotic disruptions that inadvertently lead to his own discovery as a comic performer. As Larry and Canuto vie for Elvira's affections, Canuto must navigate the bewildering machinery of the studio system, eventually realizing that his true talent lies in the very clumsiness that once made him an outcast. The film reaches a poignant climax where Canuto achieves professional success as a 'clown' but faces the bittersweet reality of losing the woman he loves to the glamorous world he helped her enter.

Historical Background

In 1930, Hollywood was in a state of panic over the 'language barrier' created by the advent of sound. During the silent era, American films were easily exported by simply changing the intertitles; however, talkies threatened the lucrative foreign markets. To solve this, major studios like MGM and Paramount created 'Foreign Departments' to produce Multiple-Language Versions of their hits. Estrellados represents the peak of this 'Hispanic Hollywood' era, where Spanish-speaking actors from Mexico, Spain, and South America gathered in Los Angeles to create content for the global Spanish-speaking world before the industry eventually shifted to dubbing and subtitling in the mid-1930s.

Making Of

The production of Estrellados was a logistical marathon. After the English-speaking crew finished their day shifts for 'Free and Easy', the Spanish-speaking cast and director Salvador de Alberich would take over the sets for the night. Buster Keaton was essentially working double shifts, often appearing exhausted on set. The technical constraints of early sound—bulky microphones hidden in props and the need for actors to stay near 'sweet spots'—severely limited Keaton's ability to perform the wide-ranging physical stunts that had made him a legend. He famously clashed with the studio over the script, which he found wordy and lacking the visual logic of his silent masterpieces.

Visual Style

The cinematography by Leonard Smith is typical of early sound films, characterized by a more static camera compared to the fluid movements of the late silent era. Because the microphones were stationary and hidden in flower vases or furniture, the actors—and consequently the camera—had to remain relatively still. However, the film successfully captures the 'behind-the-scenes' glamour of the MGM lot, using wide shots of actual soundstages and backlots to give the film an authentic Hollywood feel.

Innovations

The primary technical achievement was the seamless coordination of a dual-language production. The crew had to maintain identical blocking and lighting for two different sets of actors across different shifts. It also demonstrated the early use of 'phonetic coaching' for lead actors, a technique that would be used for other stars like Laurel and Hardy in their own foreign-language shorts.

Music

The soundtrack features early synchronized sound recorded via the Western Electric sound-on-film system. It includes several musical numbers, most notably 'Free and Easy' (translated or adapted for the Spanish version) and traditional Spanish-flavored melodies. The sound design is notable for its use of 'diegetic' sound, where the noises of the movie studio (clapper boards, shouting directors) are integrated into the plot's comedy.

Memorable Scenes

• The 'Sultan's Bedroom' Scene: Canuto accidentally wanders onto a serious dramatic set dressed as a harem girl, leading to a disastrous and hilarious sequence of physical blunders that ruin the take.
• The Phonetic Serenade: Canuto attempts to woo Elvira using grandiloquent Spanish phrases he clearly doesn't understand, resulting in perfect deadpan comedic timing.
• The Finale: A bittersweet moment where Canuto performs a comedy routine on stage, making the audience roar with laughter while his heart breaks as he watches Elvira leave with Larry.

What Critics Said

At the time of its release, Spanish-language critics were often amused by Keaton's phonetic Spanish but appreciated the effort MGM made to cater to their demographic. Modern film historians view the film with a mix of fascination and melancholy; while it is technically impressive as a parallel production, it is often cited as the beginning of the end for Keaton's creative autonomy. Critics today note that while the physical gags are still clever, the film's reliance on dialogue (a requirement of the new sound technology) somewhat stifles Keaton's natural comedic genius.

What Audiences Thought

The film was a significant hit in Latin America and Spain, where audiences flocked to see 'El Rey de la Risa' (The King of Laughter) in a talking picture. In the United States, it played primarily in specialized theaters in cities with large Spanish-speaking populations like Los Angeles, San Antonio, and New York. Audiences generally found Keaton's deadpan delivery in Spanish to be charmingly absurd, which fit his established screen character perfectly.

You Might Also Like