Mi tío Jacinto (1956)

Pepote is a seven-year-old orphan who lives with his uncle Jacinto in a shack on the outskirts of Madrid. Jacinto is a failed former bullfighter and a current layabout and drunk, although his nephew adores him and they look after each other. They use their wits to cope with poverty: collecting cigarette butts to sell the tobacco left in them, running errands, and taking on any little scheme the resourceful boy can think of. One morning, they receive a letter offering Jacinto 1,500 pesetas to perform in a comic bullfighting show that very night—a small fortune in postwar Spain—but they don’t have the 300 pesetas it costs to rent a bullfighter’s suit, and they have only one day to get the money. They spend the whole day trying every possible way to raise it, even getting involved in scams, although Jacinto had always tried to keep his nephew away from delinquency. But his lack of skill at swindling people lands him in the police station, and they lose the fake watches they had invested all their money in. It is not long before the police are threatening to take the boy into their custody. Late that night, desperate, Jacinto offers to unload a truck full of heavy sacks for the 300 pesetas they need, but collapses halfway through the job. When all seems lost, Pepote moves the tailor to pity with his tears and angelic smile, persuading him to lend them the bullfighter’s suit. Jacinto, accompanied by Pepote and the tailor-shop employee entrusted with the suit, arrives at the Las Ventas bullring, hoping this will be his chance to succeed and show off in front of his nephew. But despite all his efforts, the rain ruins his performance, so he leaves the arena defeated and dreading having to face Pepote and see the disappointment on his face. But the boy did not witness his failure, because he had left the arena as soon as it started raining. So when Pepote asks him about it, Jacinto hides the truth, boasting about his bullfighting passes and final sword thrust. They return home laughing, while Jacinto continues telling him about his supposed exploits.