I came up with the story during one
of our literary gatherings that we, a bunch of jokers hold every
now and then at a tavern: la Taberna del Alabardero, in
Madrid. We used to vote in an award we called "The contemporary
fool", whose successive winners were people like Mariano Rubio
(Ex-Governor of the Bank of Spain), the Duke of Alba and Luis
Solana. I thought about doing a film on a contemporary fool,
someone like Mario Conde. But the story changed:, Rafael Azcona,
who has the virtue of brevity, reduced the plot which I had
written with José Luis García Sánchez that told the character's
personal story until he turned 40 years old. That is why I
discarded calling the film "The contemporary fool", which was my
first choice. Much has been said to the effect that I am telling
(in the film) the story of a social climber, a Mario Conde or a
similar sort of person, someone from the "get-rich-quick-scheme",
but that isn't it either. What happens is that the press tends to
simplify things to the extent that if a gentleman called Marx were
to present a book called "Capital", the headlines would read:
German Jewish man declares himself against Capitalism" [...]
Somehow, I identify myself with Cesar. I am a person who doesn't
want to know about certain things, I allow myself to be loved; it
is something like seeking guilty innocence. Something like that
happens to Cesar, who wants to be a seducer as well as a skilful,
intelligent and deceitful individual.
MANUEL GUTIÉRREZ ARAGÓN
SYNOPSIS
César, the illegitimate son of a stewardess, grows up with his
cousins at his uncle and aunt's home believing he and his cousins
are siblings. They live in a village in the north of the country
next to a river with salmon in it. He loves to go salmon fishing.
As he grows up he gradually becomes a brave adventurer, who
character-wise is very different from his presumed siblings,
although at the same time he doesn't hesitate to cheat if he can
improve his own image. As he grows up, he is increasingly attracted
to his female cousin, a rather ugly-looking girl who is jinxed. His
uncle, the village doctor, adores Cesar and despises his own
legitimate children. As they reach adulthood, Cesar and his cousin
Fernando will develop very different personalities. Cesar will
become an opportunist and Fernando a loser.