The Millionaire Taxi Driver
Original movie poster for El taxista millonario
Directed byGustavo Nieto Roa
StarringCarlos Benjumea, Rosa Gloria Chagoyán
CinematographyMario González
Music byRoberto Campuzano
Distributed byCentauro Films y Cine Colombia
Release date
  • 25 December 1979 (1979-12-25)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryColombia
LanguageSpanish

The Millionaire Tax Driver (Spanish: El taxista millonario) is a Colombian comedy film released in December 1979 directed by Gustavo Nieto Roa and starring Carlos "El Gordo" Benjumea and Rosa Gloria Chagoyán.

Plot

José is a taxi driver in Bogotá. He drives an old 1946 taxi that is in poor condition and repeatedly breaks down. His mother and three younger brothers depend on José to support the family. Despite his struggles, José lives his life with joy and optimism.

José becomes infatuated with a beautiful nightclub showgirl, Verónica, but she rejects him due to his economic condition.

After robbing a bank, the gang of robbers becomes involved in a shutout with the police. Two of the robbers stop José's taxi at gunpoint and force him to assist with their escape. As the robbers run from the taxi, they leave behind two bags containing millions of pesos. José hides the money, spending it on gifts for his family, on a new taxi, on new clothes, and on impressing Verónica, who changes her mind about José.

The police suspect José of being one of the robbers. José is also pursued by the robbers who beat him and then kidnap Verónica and demand the return the money. As José attempts to return the money, he is followed by the police. The police seize the money and arrest the robbers as well as José and Verónica.

At the trial, José persuades the court that he is innocent. The actual robbers are sentenced to 30 years in prison. At the end of the trial, José learns that a lottery ticket he received from a dying relative is the winner.

Production information

The film was directed by Gustavo Nieto Roa. It was one of several film collaborations between Nieto Roa and Carlos Benjumea.[1] Nieto Roa wrote the screenplay with Ignacio Ramírez. The theme music that recurs throughout the film was composed by Roberto Campuzano. Mario González was the cinematographer. The film was released on Christmas Day in 2007, and distributed by Centauro Films and Cine Colombia. The film had a running time of 98 minutes.

Themes and reception

Though presented as a comedy, Nieto Roa described the film as "a serious study on the middle class."[2]

The film was enormously popular. For more than a decade, it was the highest grossing film in the history of Colombian cinema, and it remained in second place for another 30 years.[3]

In his book "Cine y nación", Simón Puerta Domínguez described it as "Nieto Roa's film that best represents the continuity of affirmative melodramatic cinema, as well as its transformation to the ambiguous and incredulous context of the time."[4]

Cast

  • Carlos "El Gordo" Benjumea, as José, el taxista
  • Rosa Gloria Chagoyán, as Verónica, the night club star
  • Jaqueline Henríquez
  • Delfina Guido
  • Chela del Río, as José's mother
  • Jairo Soto, as the leader of the thieves
  • Humberto Arango
  • Mario Sastre

References

  1. ↑ ""El taxista millonario", un hit del cine colombiano". Senal Colombia. May 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ Luis Alberto Álvarez (2020). Páginas de cine, Volumen 1. Universidad de Antioquia. ISBN 9789587149838.
  3. ↑ Osorio Mejía Osorio, Oswaldo Osorio (2018). Las muertes del cine colombiano. Universidad de Antioquia. ISBN 9789587147926.
  4. ↑ Simón Puerta Domínguez (2015). Cine y nación: negociación, construcción y representación identitaria en Colombia. Universidad de Antioquia. p. 138. ISBN 9789588890869.
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