One of the greatest entertainers in the world, Mario Moreno "Cantinflas", was not only a comedian and actor but also an activist who used his status to help those in need. Often referred to as 'the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico', Cantinflas' signature mustache and costume not only represented the underdogs of Latin America but those of us with ganas. In his movie roles, Cantinflas challenged social status, authority and identity with a tenacious noncomformist attitude. His influence reached across the world, especially impacting the teatros that spread the message of the Chicano Movement in the 1960s.
One of my favorites films is 'El Analfabeto' where he plays an illiterate who receives a legal letter telling him of a big inheritance from his late uncle. He goes to a pharmacy to see if the pharmacist can read him the letter but is quickly embarrassed by a young girl who already knows how to read. He then decides to go to school and learn how to read for himself. There are several plot points but as in any Cantinflas movie, his honesty and ganas pays off in the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stILxVEQVUA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantinflas
http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-biography/cantinflas/
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cantinflas
Visit the store to buy a Cantinflas print.
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