Cantinflear

April marked more than thirty years since the death of actor Mario Moreno (Mexico, 1911-1993), known for his character Cantinflas, and in his honor, I decided to use this term, which was included in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) a few months before his death.

According to the RAE website: From Cantinflas, character and nickname of Mario Moreno, 1911-1993, popular Mexican actor, Cantinflear: colloquial intr. To speak or act in a crazy and incongruous manner, without saying anything of substance.

Easily, Cantinflas is a symbol of an era. I remember my childhood with Mexican movies full of drama, westerns, or comedies. And his films which were many earned the applauses for originality. I remember the character of Mario Moreno as somewhat naive, but very witty, capable of escaping any situation and convincing or intriguing with his crazy talk, which, despite being crazy, was not without meaning.

With more than 45 films, he was so famous that little by little it began to be verbalized in this way, until it became popular and was accepted by academics. Furthermore, he received many awards during his lifetime for his career full of talent and humility. One of the most publicized honors is the star he has on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles for more than 40 years, and precisely with the name Cantinflas, not his real name.

Cantinflas was an inspiration for later generations of actors. Even in Cuba, I say, because I associate it with the character Chivichana, popularized at the beginning of the century by Ulises Toirac (Cuba, 1963) on the comedy show Jura decir la verdad (Swear to Tell the Truth). Although it was based on the historical Trespatines from La Tremenda corte (The Tremendous Court) (1940s, 50s, and 60s), I always saw it as having a less structured, empty discourse, but similar to the Mexican actor.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSi Translation Staff