Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Miracle of Marcelino Blu-ray Movie Review

A minor miracle of a motion picture.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 28, 2012

We live in an incredibly cynical age where many people have come to the conclusion we know everything we need to and “reality” is merely surface deep. It’s a sad reflection on the cosmic state of affairs that a lot of people more than ever judge the universal book by its cover, rarely if ever delving into depths of experience simply because, more often than not, they simply can’t be troubled to. Things may have been putatively more innocent and open in 1955 when Miracle of Marcelino caused a bit of an international stir, but one has to remember that even back in those “olden days”, the world was weary of war and was existing under the looming threat of an incipient nuclear holocaust with the development of the hydrogen bomb by the United States and then the Soviet Union. That may have at least partially played into the prevalence of huge Biblical epics in the American film industry during this period, for people need reassurance in troubling times. It may also have contributed to the much smaller but no less meaningful pleasures of Miracle of Marcelino, a deliberately intimate story which is culled from Spanish lore and legend and deals with a sweet little orphan boy left in the care of an isolated Spanish monastery, who is raised by the monks there and becomes witness to a miracle. Those prone to cynicism—and Heaven knows that’s a lot of us these days—may roll their eyes in disbelief over the innocent, even naïve, charms of Miracle of Marcelino, but for those who are still able (perhaps only barely) to open their hearts to a message of the miraculous penetrating into our everyday world, the film is a very powerful, effective commentary on the force of faith in a world which seems almost deliberately out to destroy such belief.

The Catholic Church in particular has a tradition of rather graphic crucifixes, many of which ornament places of some prestige in various sanctuaries. There’s a funny story that has become legend in my family about one of these remarkably realistic crucifixes. One of my sisters converted to Catholicism when she became engaged to a Catholic man, and they had a huge noontime mass in one of the biggest Catholic parishes of the city where we lived. This parish had a gigantic and fairly bloody crucifix behind the altar. The ceremony got underway at which point the little flower girl, a three year old my sister had babysat for, came waltzing up the aisle, took one look at the crucifix, and screamed out for the entire congregation to hear: “He’s dead! Look, Mommy, that man is dead!” Needless to say, the solemnity of the ceremony was immediately dissolved into helpless and hearty laughter by everyone there, including the Priest. A perhaps slightly less realistic crucifix is at the center of Miracle of Marcelino, an ancient carved rendering of Christ’s passion that the lonely orphan boy Marcelino (Pablito Calvo) discovers in the attic of the monastery where he’s being raised. Having been warned of a “bogeyman” in the attic by the monks, who don’t want Marcelino prying into areas of the structure where he doesn’t belong, Marcelino initially thinks the carving is indeed some kind of monster.

Marcelino is a sweet if slightly rambunctious child, which brings him into conflict with several local townspeople, including the Mayor, after an incident which sees Marcelino creating some chaos at a festival when Marcelino manages to let some animals loose, the monks respond by invoking a vow of silence around the boy. That leads him to investigate what has been the forbidden zone of the attic. There he ultimately gets over his fear and begins to communicate innocently with the crucifix, which magically comes alive after Marcelino brings the carving some bread and wine (hence the pan y vino of the film’s original title). This may strike some devout Christians as inherently sacrilegious, but the fact is director Ladislao Vadja handles it all with discretion and indeed even reverence. While the crucifix is shown face on, the living Christ is only hinted at, with shots of hands and arms and a soothing voice, as well as an effulgent glow which bathes Marcelino in its radiance.

Miracle of Marcelino is a small, somewhat slow film that builds slowly to its inexorable conclusion, one that will probably bring a tear to even the most hard hearted. This is a gentle folktale brought to life with imagination and sweetness, and it most definitely will not be everyone’s cup of tea (and/or communion wine). Even those without a particularly religious bent will no doubt marvel at the expressive performance of Pablito Calvo as Marcelino. A beautiful little cherub of a boy, he brings such innocence and wonder to the film that the miracle Marcelino witnesses becomes almost palpable. Fans of Luis Bunuel will perhaps recognize a very young Fernando Rey as the monk who narrates Marcelino’s story in flashback. Director Vajda stages the film with simplicity but visceral impact, and is aided immeasurably by the incredibly evocative black and white cinematography of Heinrich Gärtner.

Miracle of Marcelino Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Miracle of Marcelino is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of VCI Entertainment with a VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. VCI's Blu-ray releases have a tendency to be pretty aggressively digitally scrubbed, and while there does appear to be DNR on display here, it's not at an overly egregious level. The elements are in reasonably excellent shape, with only a few minor blemishes and specks to report. Contrast is often lustrous, with full, rich black levels and appealing gray scale. Fine detail pops pleasingly in close-ups, and while there is some murkiness in shadow detail, overall this image is nicely sharp and well balanced. The only complaint many videophiles will probably have is the very noticeable ringing due to edge enhancement, something that is especially clear in a number of exterior shots that have a backlit light source.

Miracle of Marcelino Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Miracle of Marcelino sports LPCM mono audio in both the original Spanish language as well as an English dub, with both of these tracks delivered via LPCM 2.0 mixes. There's good news and bad news with regard to both of these tracks. While fidelity is at least acceptable in both of these, the Spanish language track has noticeably more amplitude, with a much fuller midrange than the English language track. Unfortunately, it's also hampered by much more noticeable distortion in this very same midrange, making some of the music cues especially rather unpleasant to listen to. While the English track is rather noticeably softer in comparison to the Spanish track, that diminution in volume means that some of the distortion is less noticeable. There is some hiss audible on both of these tracks, but aside from the distortion, there's no horrible damage to report. VCI has also provided optional English subtitles in a nice blue color, making them very easy to read no matter what's going on in the background.

Miracle of Marcelino Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Childlike Faith: Thoughts and Experiences (HD; 7:25) features interviews with Brian Desmarais, Assistant Director of Faith Formation at Church of Saint Mary in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Charity Taylor, Minister and Author; and Scot Law, Missionary and Missions Consultant. The three discuss some of the elements of maintaining a childlike faith.


• Miracles (HD; 13:22) is subtitled "Happen every day. . .", and features the same three interview subjects addressing aspects of the miraculous in everyday life.

Miracle of Marcelino Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Miracle of Marcelino manages to toe a very fine line that remains devout while ever so gently pushing the envelope of what some "true believers" may find acceptable. What saves this film from seeming like a religious screed is the fact that it's told from the point of view of a very impressionable, sweet natured and incredibly lonely child. The saving grace that is offered Marcelino therefore becomes incredibly emotional, though some may wonder about some of the implications of the denouement, which put a rather gruesome spin on "happily ever after". But all in all, this is an incredibly heartfelt document of faith that is staged simply and which contains an amazingly effective performance by young Pablito Calvo, who evidently burst into a brief but overwhelming international stardom after the film was released in 1955. Miracle of Marcelino received the coveted Golden Bear Award at Berlin the year it was released, and its message of hope and redemption is perhaps even more relevant in today's world. The supplements here are negligible, and there are some issues with both the video and audio of this release, but the message of Miracle of Marcelino is so potent that this Blu-ray still comes Recommended.