La Señal
Encyclopedia
The Signal is a 2007
Argentine
film written by Eduardo Mignogna
. Mignogna was going to direct the film as well. However, due to his death one year before the start of production, his friend and frequent collaborator, Ricardo Darín
, took up the task. He was aided by Martín Hodara, who had his directorial debut. Darín also starred in the lead role, along with Diego Peretti
, Julieta Díaz
and Andrea Pietra.
The film is dedicated to Eduardo Mignogna.
, with Corvalán hiding in a safehouse and preparing himself for a gunfight. The film then takes a step back to the start, in the form of a flashback
.
The year is 1952: Eva Perón
has retired from public life due to poor health, and her final days are being broadcast on the radio. Corvalán, alias "El Pibe" (The Kid, Ricardo Darín
) and Santana (Diego Peretti
) are two amateur private detectives living off oddjobs and gambling. Corvalán is also in a decaying relationship with Perla (Andrea Pietra). After one unlucky day at the tracks, Corvalán meets a mysterious woman, Gloria (Julieta Díaz
), in a café. She passes him her telephone number and leaves. Corvalán tries to contact her, but unsuccessfully so until he is reached by Gloria herself, and presented with an assignment: trail a man, Nicolás Pertureta, all day and report his movements. Although Pertureta proves difficult to follow, Corvalán manages to garner information about Pertureta contacting a number of shady people.
Corvalán recruits his cautious partner, Santana, into the assignment - while keeping his regular tasks in hand. Perla is caught cheating on Corvalán, Pertureta is found strangled with barbed wire, and it is revealed that Gloria is the wife of a major mafia
boss, "El Noruego" (The Norwegian), who is being stalked by Dino Capuano, the last surviving member of a family he massacred years ago in Sicily
. Because El Noruego suspects a snitch, and Gloria fears for her safety, she confesses to Corvalán that she hired him to give her, and indirectly her husband, proof that the snitch is Pertureta.
Santana wants no business with the feud between El Noruego and Dino Capuano, but Corvalán, moved by Gloria's story, decides to help her, and together they go into hiding at a safehouse. It is here that the movie catches up with the start, and Corvalán engages in a gunfight with El Noruego's henchmen. He and Gloria escape after killing one of them, and as Corvalán runs out of bullets, Santana arrives and rescues them.
Upon getting word that El Noruego and his gang have been gunned down by Capuano's men, Gloria manages to convince Corvalán to disappear with her. To do so, Corvalán must first return to El Noruego's place and open the safe that holds savings worth a lifetime. In the movie's climax, Corvalán manages to open the safe and reads the "Remington" seal in the safe-box and remembers that days ago his father told him he had a safe-box with a five-digit combination.Corvalán is suddenly interrupted by Gloria's chauffeur, who points a gun at him and demands the money. Just as he is about to kill him, he is shot in the back by Gloria as he, in turn, shoots Corvalán. Gloria leaves Corvalán to die, and walks away with the money.
In the last scene, Santana painfully identifies Corvalán's body at the morgue. He mutters "So long, my friend" (in English) and leaves. In the radio, a speaker announces the death of Eva Perón and the national mourning.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
film written by Eduardo Mignogna
Eduardo Mignogna
Eduardo Mignogna was an Argentinian film director and screenwriter.- Filmography :* 1975 - La Raulito en libertad * 1983 - El Desquite...
. Mignogna was going to direct the film as well. However, due to his death one year before the start of production, his friend and frequent collaborator, Ricardo Darín
Ricardo Darín
Ricardo Darín is an Argentine actor, screenwriter and film director.Darín is one of the biggest movie stars in Argentina. He played a number of parts in TV series for several years where he became popular as a young leading actor...
, took up the task. He was aided by Martín Hodara, who had his directorial debut. Darín also starred in the lead role, along with Diego Peretti
Diego Peretti
Diego Peretti is an Argentine actor, screenwriter and former psychiatrist.Peretti was born in Buenos Aires, and practiced as a psychiatrist for fourteen years. He took part in several movies and TV series, including the 2004 romantic comedy, No sos vos, soy yo, and Los Simuladores a popular TV...
, Julieta Díaz
Julieta Díaz
Julieta Díaz is an Argentine film, television, and theatre actress. She began her career at age 13.Díaz works in the cinema of Argentina.-Filmography:* Lobos marinos * Déjala correr...
and Andrea Pietra.
The film is dedicated to Eduardo Mignogna.
Synopsis
The film starts in medias resIn medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
, with Corvalán hiding in a safehouse and preparing himself for a gunfight. The film then takes a step back to the start, in the form of a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
.
The year is 1952: Eva Perón
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
has retired from public life due to poor health, and her final days are being broadcast on the radio. Corvalán, alias "El Pibe" (The Kid, Ricardo Darín
Ricardo Darín
Ricardo Darín is an Argentine actor, screenwriter and film director.Darín is one of the biggest movie stars in Argentina. He played a number of parts in TV series for several years where he became popular as a young leading actor...
) and Santana (Diego Peretti
Diego Peretti
Diego Peretti is an Argentine actor, screenwriter and former psychiatrist.Peretti was born in Buenos Aires, and practiced as a psychiatrist for fourteen years. He took part in several movies and TV series, including the 2004 romantic comedy, No sos vos, soy yo, and Los Simuladores a popular TV...
) are two amateur private detectives living off oddjobs and gambling. Corvalán is also in a decaying relationship with Perla (Andrea Pietra). After one unlucky day at the tracks, Corvalán meets a mysterious woman, Gloria (Julieta Díaz
Julieta Díaz
Julieta Díaz is an Argentine film, television, and theatre actress. She began her career at age 13.Díaz works in the cinema of Argentina.-Filmography:* Lobos marinos * Déjala correr...
), in a café. She passes him her telephone number and leaves. Corvalán tries to contact her, but unsuccessfully so until he is reached by Gloria herself, and presented with an assignment: trail a man, Nicolás Pertureta, all day and report his movements. Although Pertureta proves difficult to follow, Corvalán manages to garner information about Pertureta contacting a number of shady people.
Corvalán recruits his cautious partner, Santana, into the assignment - while keeping his regular tasks in hand. Perla is caught cheating on Corvalán, Pertureta is found strangled with barbed wire, and it is revealed that Gloria is the wife of a major mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
boss, "El Noruego" (The Norwegian), who is being stalked by Dino Capuano, the last surviving member of a family he massacred years ago in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Because El Noruego suspects a snitch, and Gloria fears for her safety, she confesses to Corvalán that she hired him to give her, and indirectly her husband, proof that the snitch is Pertureta.
Santana wants no business with the feud between El Noruego and Dino Capuano, but Corvalán, moved by Gloria's story, decides to help her, and together they go into hiding at a safehouse. It is here that the movie catches up with the start, and Corvalán engages in a gunfight with El Noruego's henchmen. He and Gloria escape after killing one of them, and as Corvalán runs out of bullets, Santana arrives and rescues them.
Upon getting word that El Noruego and his gang have been gunned down by Capuano's men, Gloria manages to convince Corvalán to disappear with her. To do so, Corvalán must first return to El Noruego's place and open the safe that holds savings worth a lifetime. In the movie's climax, Corvalán manages to open the safe and reads the "Remington" seal in the safe-box and remembers that days ago his father told him he had a safe-box with a five-digit combination.Corvalán is suddenly interrupted by Gloria's chauffeur, who points a gun at him and demands the money. Just as he is about to kill him, he is shot in the back by Gloria as he, in turn, shoots Corvalán. Gloria leaves Corvalán to die, and walks away with the money.
In the last scene, Santana painfully identifies Corvalán's body at the morgue. He mutters "So long, my friend" (in English) and leaves. In the radio, a speaker announces the death of Eva Perón and the national mourning.