The Heifer

A comic gem from later in the career of Spanish cinema maestro Luis García Berlanga, La Vaquilla was one of the first comedies made about the Civil War and a huge hit at the Spanish Box Office. In this expertly crafted and witty satire skewering the horror and nonsense of war, Republican soldiers at the frontline turn their attention to a religious festival planned by the Nationalist troops occupying a nearby village, plotting to steal and eat the bull at the centre of it all. A platoon of mismatched soldiers infiltrates enemy territory, but as they attempt to thwart their powerful enemy and fill their hungry bellies, they soon find themselves caught up in the holy procession.