| Native Name: |
| ||
| Director: | Óscar Aibar | ||
| Cinematography: | Mario Montero | ||
| Editing: | Fernando Pardo | ||
| Music: | Nacho Mastretta | ||
| Distributor: | Alta Classics | ||
| Country: | Spain | ||
| Language: | Spanish |
The Great Vazquez (Spanish; Castilian: '''El gran Vázquez'''|links=no) is a 2010 Spanish biographical comedy-drama film directed and written by Óscar Aibar which stars Santiago Segura as the title character alongside Álex Angulo, Mercè Llorens and Enrique Villén.
Set in 1960s Barcelona,[1] the plot follows the vicissitudes of Vázquez, a cartoonist and wastrel whose rogue way of living is threatened by the arrival of a foe, Peláez, an accountant hellbent on setting things right in the publishing house.[2] [3]
The film is a Distinto Films, Tornasol Films and Castafiore Films production, with the participation of TVE, TVC and Canal+ España.[4] Shooting locations included Barcelona and the Ciudad de la Luz studio in Alicante.[5] [6]
The Great Vazquez was presented at the 58th San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2010, screened as part of the festival's main competition.[7] It was theatrically released in Spain on 24 September 2010.[8]
In the view of Mark Adams, of ScreenDaily, the film constitutes "a delightful mixture of genial period comedy mixed with comic strip characters bouncing out of the screen".[9]
Carlos Marañón of Cinemanía gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, presenting it as a "Lopezvazquez-esque version of Catch Me If You Can full of city guards", considering that the imbrication of the setting with the lead character's spirit is so-so, while the supporting cast performs well.[10]
Sergi Sánchez of Fotogramas score 3 out of 5 stars, considering that the "faithful portrayal" of the working environment in Franco era and Santiago Segura's "spectacular performance", balancing "tenderness and cynicism", make the film a "pleasant surprise", while considering the animated segments to be "expendable".[11]
|-| align = "center" rowspan = "5" | 2011 || rowspan = "4" | 3rd Gaudí Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Non-Catalan Language Film || ||rowspan = "4" | [12] |-| Best Costume Design || Maria Gil, Sonia Segura || |-| Best Special/Digital Effects || Josep Maria Aragonés || |-| Best Makeup and Hairstyles || Blanca Sánchez, Pepe Quetglas || |-| 25th Goya Awards || Best Supporting Actor || Álex Angulo || || align = "center" | [13] |}