Film: The Intouchables (Intouchables), 2011 directed by Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano

The Intouchables (French: Intouchables, which translates literally as Untouchable) is a 2011 French film written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, and starring François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clothilde Mollet, Alba Gaia Bellugi, Cyril Mendy, Christian Ameri, Marie-Laure Descoureaux, Grégoire Oestermann.

The film is inspired by a true story discovered by the directors in a 2004 documentary film. A rich quadriplegic, living in a mansion in Paris, requires a live-in carer. A young offender turns up for an interview, but he is not really looking to get the job. However, to his surprise, he is hired. The two men then develop a close friendship (from IMDb).

It was released in Spain on 9 March. Begoña and I went to see it last Wednesday. The moving story will not leave anyone indifferent. It has a very positive message and I found it very entertaining. An excellent film that conveys friendship, optimism and joie de vivre. The background music is by Ludovico Einaudi. I had a great time.

My rating: 9/10.

Madrid, Madrid, Madrid

The schottische is a partnered country dance, that apparently originated in Bohemia^[. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina (“chotis” and “chamamé”), Finland (“jenkka”), France, Italy, Norway (“Reinlender”), Portugal and Brazil (xote, Chotiça), Spain (chotis) and Sweden and Denmark (“schottis”) and the United States, among other nations. The schottische is considered by the Oxford Companion to Music to be a kind of slower polka, with continental (European) origin.

In Madrid, the chotis, chotís or schotís is considered the most typical dance of the city since the 19th century and it is danced in all the traditional festivals. Some of the tunes, as “Madrid, Madrid, Madrid“, by the Mexican composer Agustín Lara become very well known in all Spain. (From Wikipedia).

Next 15 May is the feast of San Isidro, the patron saint of Madrid.