National Mechanics

National Mechanics
National Mechanics
Directed by	Luis Alcoriza
Release date	December 28, 1972 (Mexico);
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

National Mechanics (Spanish:Mecánica nacional) is a 1972 Mexican comedy film filmed in May 1971 with locations near the free highway to Cuernavaca, and directed and written by Luis Alcoriza. It was released in Mexico City on December 28, 1972.^[1]^[2]

Synopsis and TV sequel

An owner of a mechanic's shop who is a car racing enthusiast (Manolo Fábregas) goes to attend one of the races in the company of his family and friends. Among the excesses, the commotion and chaotic partying, he is cheated on by his wife (Lucha Villa), his daughter (Alma Muriel) has sex with the groom, and his mother, the grandmother of the family (Sara García), dies from stomach congestion.

A sequel was made in 1972 as a television series starring David Reynoso and Lucha Villa, and it ran for only a few episodes. It was titled Telemecánica nacional (National Telemechanics in English). The cast was completed by Nubia Martí and Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo. In the first chapter, the family came with the corpse of the grandmother. Since they had taken her sitting in the car, she was in a stiff position unable to straighten her up, so they did all manner of things to fit her body in the coffin.

Partial cast

Manolo Fábregas as Eufemio
Lucha Villa as Isabel
Héctor Suárez as Gregorio
Sara García as Doña Lolita
Alma Muriel as Rosarito
Pancho Córdova as Güero Corrales
Aurora Clavel as Sábanas wife
Alejandro Ciangherotti as Lalo
Fabián Aranza as El Apache
Fernando Casanova as Rogelio
Pilar Bayona as Blond Girl in White
Carlos Piñar as Blond guy in white
Gloria Marín as Dora
Maritza Olivares as Paulina
Fabiola Falcón as Laila
Eduardo López Rojas as Don Chava
Federico Curiel as Nando
Sergio Calderón as El Manchas
Alejandra Mora as Secretary
Elsa Cardiel as Secretary
Luis Manuel Pelayo as TV director
Patricio Castillo as El Sábanas
Paco Ignacio Taibo as Ceferino
Mari Carmen Taibo as Ceferino's wife
Betty Meléndez as Woman from Asturias
Beatriz Fernández as Woman from Asturias
Miguel Zaragoza as Man from Asturias
Francisco Llopis as Man from Asturias
Margarita Villegas as Don Chava's wife
Yolanda Ponce as Manchas wife
Amira Cruzat as Nando's wife
Carlos León as Marcos, Rogelio's friend
Ramiro Orci as Iceman
Rodolfo Sánchez Loya as TV announcer
Víctor Alcocer as Gorilón

Release

The film was released in Mexico City a year and a half after it was shot. It was ranked 74th on the list of the 100 best Mexican films, according to the opinion of 25 critics and film specialists in Mexico, as published by Somos magazine in July 1994.^[3]

Release history

International publication date
Country	Title	Date
Mexico	Mecánica nacional	December 28, 1972
France	Mécanique nationale	January 8, 1975
Spain	Mecánica nacional	January 28, 1977
Hungary	Autós hétvége	October 27, 1977 (Filmmúzeum)
Poland		March 1978

Awards

Ariel Awards

The Ariel Awards are awarded annually by the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences in Mexico. Mecánica Nacional received five awards out of 10 nominations.^[4]


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
15th Ariel Awards	Mecánica Nacional (tied with El Castillo de la Pureza and Reed, México Insurgente)	Best Picture	Won
	Luis Alcoriza	Best Direction	Won
	Lucha Villa	Best Actress	Won
	Héctor Suárez	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
	Gloria Marín	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated
	Luis Alcoriza	Best Original Screenplay	Nominated
	Luis Alcoriza	Best Original Story	Won
	Carlos Savage	Best Editing	Won
	Manuel Fontanals	Best Scenography	Nominated

References

^ Mora p.120
^ "Mecánica Nacional: Una mirada a la idiosincrasia mexicana" (in Spanish). Retuécano. April 5, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
^ "Las 100 mejores películas del cine mexicano". Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
^ "XV 1973 — Ganadores y nominados" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas. 1973. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.

Bibliography

Mora, Carl J. Mexican Cinema: Reflections of a Society, 1896-2004. McFarland & Co, 2005.

External links

Mecánica nacional at IMDb
Technical information at ITESM's Mexican cinema page (in Spanish)

[1] Mora p.120

[2] "Mecánica Nacional: Una mirada a la idiosincrasia mexicana" (in Spanish). Retuécano. April 5, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2022.

[3] "Las 100 mejores películas del cine mexicano". Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2009.

[Ariel-1973-4] "XV 1973 — Ganadores y nominados" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas. 1973. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]