Germán Valdés, better known as "Tin Tán", is one of the most influential comedians in the history of Mexican cinema and without a doubt one of the most important actors of Mexico's "Golden Age". However, what sets him apart from other icons like Pedro Infante or Mario Moreno "Cantinflas", is that his whole persona has transcended time and his presence can still be felt in Mexican culture as strong (or even stronger) as when he was alive. "Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan, Tan... Simplemente Tin Tán" is the first documentary dedicated entirely to the figure of Tin Tán and explores the life of this remarkably versatile artist that has influenced not only actors and comedians, but a wide range of artists ranging from writers to rock musicians.
"Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan, Tan..." presents a detailed biography of Germán Valdés "Tin Tán", detailing the most important events in his life and the defining moments in his career. With an extensive collection of clips from his movies, as well as interviews with fellow artists and film historians, the documentary gives great insight about the life and career of Tin Tán, and the enormous legacy he left. A legacy that keeps being an influence in today's Mexican films and arts.
Directed by Manuel Marquez, the documentary's main characteristic is the vast amount of interviews it presents, and the great insight it gives on the film persona of Tin Tán and the real Germán Valdés. From the memories of his co-stars to the analysis of film historians and sociologists, the film helps to understand the magnitude of Tin Tán's impact in Mexican culture. Cleverly edited, the film has a smooth pace and a friendly tone that keeps the film from being boring or monotonous. The short clips inserted are carefully selected and present a small display of Tin Tán's best moments.
Following a chronological order, the film follows Tin Tán's life from his modest childhood and his early attempts as a comedian, to the development of his Pachuco character and how he entered the world of film-making and his talent exploded in a vast amount of roles that made him one of the most popular actors ever. Later we see how his career went down when the "Golden Age" of Mexican cinema ended and how many years after his death his influence is still alive and kicking. It's a very typical documentary in this aspect, but this is probably the best researched documentary on the subject.
On of the most important things this documentary offers, is the chance to see the very first movie that Tin Tán made: a very modest silent short film named "El Que la Traga la Paga", that with a runtime of only 7 minutes displays how even at this early stage Germán Valdés presents his trademark charm and natural talent in front of the camera. It's a very interesting part in Tin Tán's history that while very amateurish, shows an important stage in his early career and fortunately was recovered, restored and included in the documentary.
As written above, "Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan, Tan..." is not a very original documentary (it follows the basic pattern of a biographic film), but it makes up for that with the extensive amount of research done for the film. However, I found that the film's attempts to politicize Tin Tan's figure go a bit overboard, almost presenting him as patron saint of radical ideologies. While this them is of course subject to debate (and to a point is quite right in some of its remarks), the unsubtle biased the film takes on this subject feels a bit out of place in the overall very informative film.
"Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan Tán... Simplemente Tin Tán" is a wonderful work of investigation that gives insight in the life and times of the man who is probably Mexico's best comedian. Hopefully, this attempt will prompt similar works about other parts of the interesting history of Mexican cinema. After watching this documentary, one can only agree that Tin Tán was, simply wonderful. 8/10
"Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan, Tan..." presents a detailed biography of Germán Valdés "Tin Tán", detailing the most important events in his life and the defining moments in his career. With an extensive collection of clips from his movies, as well as interviews with fellow artists and film historians, the documentary gives great insight about the life and career of Tin Tán, and the enormous legacy he left. A legacy that keeps being an influence in today's Mexican films and arts.
Directed by Manuel Marquez, the documentary's main characteristic is the vast amount of interviews it presents, and the great insight it gives on the film persona of Tin Tán and the real Germán Valdés. From the memories of his co-stars to the analysis of film historians and sociologists, the film helps to understand the magnitude of Tin Tán's impact in Mexican culture. Cleverly edited, the film has a smooth pace and a friendly tone that keeps the film from being boring or monotonous. The short clips inserted are carefully selected and present a small display of Tin Tán's best moments.
Following a chronological order, the film follows Tin Tán's life from his modest childhood and his early attempts as a comedian, to the development of his Pachuco character and how he entered the world of film-making and his talent exploded in a vast amount of roles that made him one of the most popular actors ever. Later we see how his career went down when the "Golden Age" of Mexican cinema ended and how many years after his death his influence is still alive and kicking. It's a very typical documentary in this aspect, but this is probably the best researched documentary on the subject.
On of the most important things this documentary offers, is the chance to see the very first movie that Tin Tán made: a very modest silent short film named "El Que la Traga la Paga", that with a runtime of only 7 minutes displays how even at this early stage Germán Valdés presents his trademark charm and natural talent in front of the camera. It's a very interesting part in Tin Tán's history that while very amateurish, shows an important stage in his early career and fortunately was recovered, restored and included in the documentary.
As written above, "Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan, Tan..." is not a very original documentary (it follows the basic pattern of a biographic film), but it makes up for that with the extensive amount of research done for the film. However, I found that the film's attempts to politicize Tin Tan's figure go a bit overboard, almost presenting him as patron saint of radical ideologies. While this them is of course subject to debate (and to a point is quite right in some of its remarks), the unsubtle biased the film takes on this subject feels a bit out of place in the overall very informative film.
"Ni Muy, Muy... Ni Tan Tán... Simplemente Tin Tán" is a wonderful work of investigation that gives insight in the life and times of the man who is probably Mexico's best comedian. Hopefully, this attempt will prompt similar works about other parts of the interesting history of Mexican cinema. After watching this documentary, one can only agree that Tin Tán was, simply wonderful. 8/10
