Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 16, 2025

Despite any arguments to the contrary, etymology can be interesting, and in that regard it's probably salient to note that golfo in Spanish has no connection to the Scottish "sport" (and, yes, I did just put that in quotes). Los Golfos is therefore not about any would be members of the PGA, and in fact a major subplot actually involves what some may also feel is a questionable "sport", namely bullfighting. Los Golfos was a bit of a (to mix Continental languages) cause célèbre in its day when it was exhibited at Cannes in 1960 and was nominated for the Palme d'Or, two events which nonetheless did nothing to prevent it from being shown in its native Spain, which was then still under the thumb of the Franco dictatorship. The powers that be (or were, as the case may be) at the time in Spain most certainly did not want any quasi-documentarian Neorealist depiction of what in that era were commonly called "juvenile delinquents", since any good committed Marxist will tell you juvenile delinquency just doesn't happen in such cultures. Right.

What may provide some "global cinema" enthusiasts a bit of compare and contrast interest is to see how (then) fledgling feature helmsman Carlos Saura approaches showing "marauding" or "rampaging" youths, when stacked up against all of the mainstream Hollywood depictions of delinquent types in everything from Rebel Without a Cause to High School Confidential. Suffice it to say, there's arguably a much more realistic ambience suffusing this outing than in even the most hardscrabble American effort from this same general period, and that feeling of realism may well have been what set the Franco regime's veritable alarm bells ringing.

The basic story here follows a sextet of irascible young men, some of whom are shown very early committing pretty despicable crimes like robbing an elderly blind female kiosk proprietess. The six are shown in various urban environments trying to eke out some form of survival through petty larceny and the like, though Juan (Óscar Cruz) has dreams of becoming a matador, which is where the bullfighting element enters the fray (in more than one way). There's some absolutely trenchant subtext here with regard to the socioeconomic realities of midcentury Spain under the thumb of Franco, even if it's delivered with a (probably necessary) bit of misdirection. Suffice it to say that the entire generation shown in this film seems at times to be almost Job like in how many obstacles they have to face, and in that regard Juan's bullfighting dreams turn out be another potential nightmare.

Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Los Golfos is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

Los golfos was restored in 4K in 2024 by Filmoteca Española in collaboration with Films 59 at Digital and Electronic Systems laboratory from the 35mm acetate negative, 35mm prints and other intermediate photochemical materials. Restoration supervised by Javier Rellán and Patricia Uceda. Funding provided by ICAA / Ministerio de Cultura. The film was supplied to Radiance Films as a 4K digital file and it is presented in the original aspect ratio with original mono audio.

Some prefatory text cards before the main presentation also offer a bit more information:

This version of Los Golfos (Carlos Saura, 1959( was made at the Filmoteca Española by digitising the 35mm acetate image and sound negatives. The missing fragments from the negative were obtained from other various available sources. All these elements are kept at the Filmoteca Española. The goal of this project has been to restore the version most faithful to the one originally submitted to the censor board. We thank Films 59 for providing key documents and information for the completion of this project. Special thanks and recognition to Pere Portabella.

Considering the "slicing and dicing" this film experienced decades ago, this is a remarkably consistent and heterogeneous looking presentation. The black and white cinematography is supported by great looking contrast, and at least in the more relatively controlled environments, detail levels are also typically excellent. There are some noticeable variations in clarity and even occasionally slightly with regard to grain structure, but the overall appearance here is commendable. There's some very slight image instability during the credits, but otherwise no real damage of any import.

Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Los Golfos features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Spanish. This is a remarkably robust sounding track that can sound just slightly thin in the upper registers during noisier moments like some crowd scenes. Otherwise, though, there is a rather forceful midrange and both ambient environmental effects (a lot of the film takes place outside), occasional music, and dialogue are rendered without any problems. Optional English subtitles are available.

Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Esteve Riambau (HD; 22:16) features the author providing interesting background on the production and release of the film within the context of midcentury Spanish politics.


• Ehsan Khoshbakht (HD; 17:11) offers his thoughts on the film's legacy.


• Censored Scenes (HD; 12:57) is a fascinating supplement offering scenes affected by censorship which are accompanied by notes from the Censorship Committee and Carlos Saura. This was created by the Filmoteca Espanola in 2024. Subtitled in English.


• Short Films offer two early examples of Saura's work:

La Llamada (HD; 7:04)

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La Tarde Del Domingo (HD; 33:42)

Radiance includes an exceptionally interesting insert booklet this time, with both archival and new writing, but with a great article on the restoration which should be of special interest to videophiles. Radiance's typical assortment of packaging extras like an Obi strip are also included.

Los Golfos Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I frankly kind of wish some Spanish PETA type on the censorship board would have demanded some of the really sad and disturbing imagery of a poor bull slowly meeting its fate could have been excised from the film, but that refers back to my earlier questioning of bullfighting even being a "sport". That niggling animal rights issue aside, Los Golfos is a devastating deconstruction of Spanish youth culture circa 1959, but it feels like it could have been made yesterday, or maybe even tomorrow. Technical merits are first rate, and the supplements are all excellent. Highly recommended.