The Three Pintos (1979)

The Inn at Penaranda

A party is in progress. Don Gaston Viratos and his friends are guzzling wine at his expense to celebrate the completion of his studies. When the students leave, Gaston confides to his servant Ambrosio that the status of “professional student” rather suited him, and that he has great trepidation about his ability to cope with the “real” world. The best solution to the problem, he decides, is to marry into money. Dismayed by the size of the bill that he and his friends have run up, he solves this problem by ordering more wine and making a token pass at the innkeeper’s daughter. When Don Pinto de Fonseca, a ludicrous young country squire, arrives, Gaston and Ambrosio decide to have a bit of fun with him. He’s on his way to Madrid to marry a girl he’s never seen. His marital arrangements have been made by his father and the father of the bride who are old friends. Pinto is delighted: not only is the girl, Clarissa, reputed to be beautiful, but she is heiress to a considerable fortune, welcome since the Fonsecas have fallen upon hard times. He is concerned, however, that his lack of experience in the art of courtship will cause him to make a less than impressive showing with Clarissa. Gaston, in the guise of helping Pinto, makes a fool of him by giving him instructions in the art of courtship, with Ambrosio taking the part of the shy damsel. Pinto consumes an enormous meal. His lack of manners, style, and brains are finally too much for Gaston. He schemes to get Pinto drunk, steal the letter of introduction, and go himself to Madrid where he will claim to be Don Pinto. He accomplishes his plan: the real Pinto is dumped in the stable to sleep off his drunken stupor as Ambrosio and the “second Pinto” head for Madrid.

Don Pantaleone Roiz de Pacheco’s house in Madrid

Don Pantaleone’s servants have been assembled to hear a portentous announcement. His only daughter Clarissa is to be married to Don Pinto de Fonseca. The servants are exhorted to make the house festive as the bridegroom is expected tomorrow morning.

Everyone is delighted with the news except Clarissa. She confides to her maid Laura that she is despondent at the news because she instead loves Don Gomez, a handsome young nobleman temporarily banished from the city as a result of a recent duel. Laura tries to comfort her but Clarissa is inconsolable until Laura brings in Gomez, who has secretly returned to Madrid. The lovers swear eternal fidelity and try to convince each other that a solution will be found to their problems.

Don Pantaleone’s house, the next morning

Laura and the servants are decorating the house in preparation for the wedding festivities. Ambrosio and Gaston arrive anticipating their adventure with great delight. They come upon Laura; after rebuffing Ambrosio’s amorous advances, she leaves. Gomez enters to plead with the supposed Don Pinto to give up Clarissa so that “true love” might prevail. Gaston, seeing the impossibility of pressing his own suit with Clarissa, decides to assist the lovers and suggests that Gomez take the elder Fonseca’s letter, pretend to be Don Pinto, marry Clarissa, and reveal his true identity when it’s too late for Don Pantaleone to do anything about it. Thus Gomez becomes the “third Pinto.”

While his household admires the handsome bridegroom, Don Pantaleone leads in his daughter. The Don, too, is impressed with the young man’s noble air. As the wedding begins, it is disrupted by an obstreperous intruder: the real Don Pinto has come to claim his bride and her fortune. He woos Clarissa in the ludicrous manner jokingly taught to him by Gaston and Ambrosio, making a fool of himself. Everyone agrees that this gross buffoon cannot possibly be a Fonseca. When Gaston challenges him to a duel, he refuses, fervently begs for mercy, then flees.

Gaston now reveals the deception. Pantaleone, furious, draws his sword, but Gaston reasons with him that he has, in fact, been spared the burden of a cowardly, foolish son-in-law and has instead been provided with a noble, brave one … whom his daughter happens to love. Pantaleone grudgingly admits that despite his old loyalty to the Fonseca family, Gaston is right. He gives his blessing to the marriage of Clarissa and Gomez. As the servants sing the praises of this wise decision, Gaston and Ambrosio agree that their adventure has indeed turned out for the best. All, of course, ends happily-“Love will always find a way.”

Richard Pearlman