Once more Juan Carlos Cremata hits the news. He will soon premier his latest film, Contigo pan y cebolla, inspired in the theater piece by the same name, by late playwright Hector Quintero. The producer of Viva Cuba and Chamaco has been working in this project for almost three years, alternating the production of his films with the staging of theater pieces. OnCuba talked to him about this new film we will be able to watch soon “as a gift for the Cuban family during the summer”.
More than 50 years after the premier of the theater piece Contigo pan y cebolla, how are you planning to connect the contemporary audiencewith its plot in this new film?
Contigo pan y cebolla is a project we had in mind since El premio flaco. We had talked about it with Hector Quintero before he passed away. The idea was in the air and it started to materialize after he died. We had to pay him homage so we put aside our projects as a tribute to his figure and his presence in the Cuban theater. He knew about the casting and about the project in general even though we didn’t work together in the script. This piece is highly representative of his work and it means a lot to me and I have to confess I wasn’t fully ready to face that challenge. I feel the film practically made itself. Hector once told me that Tomas Gutierrez Alea had been interested in making a film out of the theater play in the 60’s, and it just occurred to me Titon and Hector helped me to produce it. I’m happy to pay this homage to a piece that highlights the Cuban identity. Every time I run into someone who knows I’m about to premiere the film they recall they watched it in the theater and I realize in Cuba there are still many Lalas Fundoras, Anselmos Prietos, Anselmitos, Lalitas and old women like Fefa. It is a privilege to present this film to the Cuban family. It is dedicated to Hector, my mum who is a co-director and to all mothers in general. I hope it be in the preference of the Cuban family because it is the classic period comedy, the typical family comedy.
To what extent is the film faithful to the play? What is your imprint as filmmaker in this movie?
There is a staunch respect to Hector Quintero’s work and we wanted to be faithful to the original piece though there are some changes for contemporary spectators to feel more comfortable with it. Unlike in El premio flaco, here we are looking for a more cinematographic and less theatrical image. We wanted to make it more natural with more movementsof the camera, close ups from different angles, diminishing the dramatic tone because we worked with very close microphones. We insisted in leaving room for comedy, which is a must from the original script.
Do you think this story is still valid in 2014?
We are discovered its validity as we produced it. We were shocked to see it is still valid after so much time; it was the same with El premio flaco. It is amazing how this situation of a woman who wants to buy a refrigerator and that liveson appearances is linked to the current and daily situation. Hector perfectly knew how to reflect that low middle-class with such a typical humor, and then… why not to save it for future generations?
You said Quintero was in charge of the casting.
He knew he wanted Alina Rodriguez to play the leading character. He noted Alina was the best Lala Fundora after Bertha Martínez (Alina replaced Bertha in the staging of the piece he directed). For me it was a challenge to direct Alina, with whom I had already worked with. She had to bring down the character she had created for the play in order to create it again for the film. Quintero also knew he wanted to work with Enrique, which was a debt I had because I had to have him in the film. I think they both make an incredible couple. For interpreting the characters of Lalita and Anselmito I have Natalia Tápanes and Carlos Solar. I also have the huge satisfaction of having Alicia Bustamante, for whom Quintero had a high appreciation and had dedicated her Sabado corto. The comeback to the cinema and the theater of this great Cuban actress makes me happy. There is also Edith Massola, Osvaldo Doimeadiós, and the debut of Singer Leoni Torres as an actor, quite a revelation.
Where do you place Quintero’s work in the Cuban theater scenario that has led you to take his plays to the cinema?
According to Rine Leal in the History of Cuban Theater, in Cuba theaters were filled just by saying Quintero because he was unquestionably our most popular playwright. He has had a lot of influence in me, thanks God we were lucky to meet. Even before El premio flaco he authorized me to do whatever I considered fit with his piece. I always saw Contigo pan y cebolla as a huge monument I have always been afraid of, I confess, though I’m not so much afraid anymore. I was afraid because it was his favorite, it was hard to do something to his favorite piece. After he died I had to undertake it because I worship his personality and his work and I think this would be the best way to pay him homage.
What are the main differences between this film and the previous ones inspired in theater plays?
This is a happy comedy despite its melodramatic shades, within tragedy there is joy. This one is less dark than the previous ones. El premio flaco was less encouraging. This was the film I needed to produce after Chamaco, a film with which I moved into deep sadness.
Is it cinema in the theater or theater in the cinema?
A sceneshifter in theater told me I was getting into a big mess by wanting to make cinema with theater. The cinema and the theater are two great passions for me. While shooting Contigo pan y cebolla I continued directing theater pieces. I am afraid of missing projects, if I don’t have work to do I get depressed, I’m addicted to work, love, in the cinema and the theater, but the theater is an ancient love I will never give up to.
