History Film / EsperandoLaCarroza

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Would probably apply for all the cast, but specially Elvira/China Zorrilla. While Elvira de Musicardi holds a candle as one of the meanest characters in the film, in her long career as an actress, every cast partner and crewmen remembers China Zorrilla as one of the warmest person they ever met. There are testimonies of teenagers that wrote fan mail to Zorrilla, and recieved very kind responses with tickets to see her on stage. In some cases, she even called them to met her backstage and gave them advice on how and where to study acting techniques.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Would probably apply for all the cast. Specially with Elvira/China Zorrilla. While Elvira de Musicardi holds a candle as one of the meanest character in the film, in her long career as an actress, every cast partner and crewmen remembers China Zorrilla as one of the warmest person they ever met. There are testimonies of teenanger that wrote fan mail to Zorrilla, and recieved a very kind response with ticket to see her on stage. In some cases, she called them to met her backstage and gave them advice about how and where study acting techniques.

--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* LittleMissSnarker: Matilde. Also the little mulatto boy who delivers a funeral wreath.

* TheBrute: Emilia's son Cacho (played by Darío Grandinetti) is seen playing football with some children when Sergio and Antonio visit them in the slums to ask about Mamá Cora. Dimwitted, gross (he's picking his nose) and slurring his words, he can barely recognise his uncles. When the children annoy him with the ball, he takes out a switchblade knife and stabs their leather ball, deflating it.

* BaitAndSwitch: Matilde is

''Esperando la carroza'' (''Waiting for the Hearse'' in Spanish) is a 1985 Argentine comedy film directed by Alejandro Doria. Now considered a CultClassic, it opened on 6 May 1985 to lukewarm reviews.

The story belongs to the criollo grotesque (''costumbrismo'') genre of black comedy. It's based on the play of the same name by Jacobo Langsner, premiered by the Comedia Nacional company in 1962. The film adaptation starred some well-known Argentine and Uruguayan actors such as Antonio Gasalla, China Zorrilla, Luis Brandoni and Betiana Blum. In the River Plate culture, it's considered to be a classic and its reruns on TV still draw large audiences. On April 2, 2009 (23 years after the original film's release) a sequel was released, but it failed to achieve the success of the original.

The plot, set during a typical Argentine [[DinnerAndAShow Sunday family lunch]], revolves around the [[DysfunctionalFamily Musicardi clan]] having to deal with their [[ScatterbrainedSenior mother, Mamá Cora]]. The four siblings, NouveauRiche [[LesCollaborateurs Antonio]], [[WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons middle-class Sergio]], [[LowerClassLout Jorge]] and [[BarefootPoverty Emilia]] don't know what to do with their aging, meddling mother, so they shuffle her around until Jorge and his wife [[HystericalWoman Susana]] get stuck with her. One day, Susana decides she's had enough of her mother-in-law screwing up [[LethalChef her cooking]] and interfering with her newborn baby, so she storms into Sergio and [[BitchInSheepsClothing Elvira's]] house. They are rather busy getting ready to meet Antonio and [[RichBitch Nora]]; none of them really tolerates [[ObnoxiousInLaws each other]], but Sergio and Elvia [[ProfessionalButtkisser enjoy sucking up]] to Antonio and Nora hoping to be in their good graces (and maybe get some money from them.)

Meanwhile, after being screamed at by Susana, Mamá Cora decides to leave the house for a while till things cool down. She happens to run into a neighbour, Dominga (whose house is right in front of Sergio's), who asks her to look after her child because she has [[BusinessTripAdultery to visit her mother-in-law at the hospital]]. Once the family realises Mamá Cora is gone, they realise their mistake and start to desperately search for her. Some time later, one of Antonio's "contacts" calls them to inform that they have found the body of an elderly woman who just [[DrivenToSuicide threw herself under the train]]. Guilt-ridden, they [[IdentifyingTheBody go to the morgue]] and recognise their mother's "corpse" by her shoes, since her face is unrecognisable. They notify the rest of the family, friends and neighbours and proceed to have a wake at Sergio's home. Looking from the terrace of Dominga's house, Mamá Cora realises there's a hullaballoo at Sergio's and decides to check out [[AttendingYourOwnFuneral what's going on...]]

--> '''Antonio:''' Benigno! They let out of prison!? Good to know! Justice was served.

* TheBrute: Emilia's son Cacho (played by Darío Grandinetti) is seen playing football with some children when Sergio and Antonio visit them in the slums to ask about Mamá Cora. Dimwitted, gross (he's picking his nose) and slurring his words, he can barely recognise his uncles. When the children annoy him with the ball, he [[KnifeNut takes out a switchblade knife]] and stabs their leather ball, deflating it.

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Elvira:''' [upset] God I'm so... what a disgrace! I'm mortified. It's so horrible, living around such brute and uncultured people!

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Elvira:''' Don't you know her?? But you don't know what ''I'm'' capable of, either! I swear I'll throw the corpse and Susana through my window. Nobody laughs at me!

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Elvira:''' Don't you know her?? But you don't know what I'm capable of! I swear I'll throw the corpse and Susana through my window. Nobody laughs at me!

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Elvira:''' [upset] God I'm so... what a disgrace! I'm mortified. It's so horrible, having to live around such brute and uncultured people!

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Elvira:''' [upset] God I'm so... what a disgrace! I'm mortified. It's so horrible, having to live around brute, uncultured people like her!

* DramaticIrony: the Musicardis believe Mamá Cora jumped under a train, but the audience knows she just went out for a walk and ended up in Dominga's house, right in front of Sergio's.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

* FreezeFrameEnding: the film ends with Mamá Cora and the elderly people of the neighbourhood hurrying to attend the Hungarian woman's funeral, while a children's song plays in the background. See AnAesop.
* FriendOnTheForce: Antonio's shady "contacts" in the police inform him of the dead old lady found in the tracks. One of the men he asks for is in jail, probably due to [[DirtyCop being involved in the last dictatorship]]. Then, he has a friendly exchange with [[IronicName Benigno]] [[note]]"benign" in Spanish [[/note]]]:
--> '''Antonio:''' Benigno! You got out of prison!? Good to know! Justice was served.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

* AnAesop: the caption of the FreezeFrameEnding that shows Mamá Cora leading the rest of the old people from the neighbourhood reads ''A nuestros viejos queridos'' ("Dedicated to our elderly loved ones/dear old parents"), implying that the moral of the story is that we should take good care of our aging relatives. We never know when they'll be gone.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??
--> '''Dominga:''' [[{{Fanservice}} putting on a sexy strapless top]] I meant... her sister.
--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??
--> '''Dominga:''' [{{Fanservice}} putting on a sexy strapless top] I meant... her sister.
--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Isn't she dead?? Your mother-in-law??
--> '''Dominga:''' [{{Fanservice putting on a sexy strapless top}}] I meant... her sister.
--> '''Mamá Cora:''' Porota?? Porota's in hospital??

--> '''Mamá Cora:''' The one I haven't met is Dolores. She's in hospital?
--> '''Dominga:''' No, Mamá Cora... [whispers] It's a feeble-minded they've kept hidden for twenty years.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: absolutely '''nobody''' in the film is a nice person, with the exception of Mamá Cora.

* TheFunInFuneral: the Musicardis have no peace during Mamá Cora's funeral, first being told it's actually a Hungarian woman, then being told it's not, and ''then'' having Mamá Cora [[AttendingYourOwnFuneral show up]] alive and well.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Latin America is mostly Catholic, and so Mamá Cora's "funeral" is full of people praying and reciting Hail Mary.

* PottyFailure: one of Mamá Cora's issues that pushes Susana over the edge.

* ScatterbrainedSenior: Mamá Cora, of course.

* TheFunInFuneral: the Musicardis have no peace during Mamá Cora's funeral, first being told it's actually a Hungarian woman, then being told it's not, and ''then'' having Mamá Cora [[AttendingYourOwnFuneral show up]] alive and well.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Latin America is mostly Catholic, and so Mamá Cora's "funeral" is full of people praying and reciting Hail Mary.

* PottyFailure: one of Mamá Cora's issues that pushes Susana over the edge.

--> '''Susana:''' She '''[[PrecisionFStrike shits]] herself!'''

* ScatterbrainedSenior: Mamá Cora, of course.

* TheFunInFuneral: the Musicardis have no peace during Mamá Cora's funeral, first being told it's actually a Hungarian woman, then being told it's not, and ''then'' having Mamá Cora [[AttendingYourOwnFuneral show up]] alive and well.