Kaliman, El Hombre Increible

The official film of a very special kind of hero.

I've been away for too long this time. A month has gone by and no updates were posted during November. Hopefully, as we're entering December, my professional duties will decrease allowing for plenty of updates. Today's entry is one I've been thinking about for a long time, 1972's Kaliman, El Hombre Increíble. 

Kaliman is a popular Mexican comic book superhero created by Rafael Cutberto Navarro and Modesto Vázquez González. He is very famous across Latin America. The Kaliman comic depicts the adventures of Kaliman and his young companion Solín, an Egyptian boy who is descended from Pharaohs. Their adventures generally take place in exotic locations. Kaliman started as a radio show in 1963, from which the comic book series was born. The comic was printed weekly for twenty-six years, reaching its highest popularity in 1965.

Promotional poster.

The comic book.

Kaliman's origin is unknown, which adds to the sense of mystery that surrounds the character. What we know is that he is an Indian orphan adopted by prince Abul Pasha from one of the kingdoms in the valley of Kalimantan, that he is the fifth man in a dynasty of men dedicated to preserving justice in the world, and that he is the seventh man of the goddess Kali's dynasty. He swore an oath to Kali to wander the world fighting for justice, and must return to India in order to renew the oath every seven years.

Kaliman wears an all-white outfit with one mark: the jeweled-encased "K" he wears in his turban. He does not use weapons, except a blowgun with tranquilizer darts and a ceremonial dagger that complements his costume. He is a master of martial arts, science and arts. He also possesses extraordinary mental powers: levitation, telepathy, remote viewing, telekinesis, astral projection, control of the involuntary functions of the body (which allows him to feign being dead: what he calls "actus mortis"), hypnosis, and self-healing, among others. He makes clear that he does nothing that any other men would not be able to do through self-discipline, study and hard work.

Kaliman meets Solin.

Studying extraterrestrial evidence.

Besides a local radio show in Mexico, two movies made in Mexico about the blue-eyed hero, with actor Jeff Cooper as Kalimán, his voice was dubbed by Luis Manuel Pelayo, who was in charge of the voice in the Radio Play.

The first movie, done in 1972,"Kalimán el hombre increible" was filmed entirely on location in Egypt. It had an international cast, from US, México, Spain, Italy and Egypt. The movie is loosely based on the first story "Los profanadores de Tumbas" (Tomb raiders), but adding a science fiction theme. For almost twenty years it held the title of the most expensive Méxican movie ever filmed. It was a huge success, being in theaters for more than a year.

The original running time was up to 180 minutes, but was cut up to 109 for TV release.

The second film was Kalimán en el Siniestro Mundo de Humanón (Kalimán in the Sinister World of Humanón) (1976), based on the adventures from radio and comic of the same title, and was filmed on location in Brazil and México. It was less successful than the first.

Batman & Robin?

Kaliman doesn't carry guns.

Anyways, today's entry will be about the first film which sums up the spirit of a comic book that may be hard to find if you're not around Latin American bookstores or dedicated comic book shops (I know there are some there but since Kaliman is a fifty year old piece written in Spanish that makes it a hard to find piece)

As stated above, the film's plot is loosely based upon "The Tomb Raiders" story arc. This story arc was originally the first episode of the radio show in 1963. In addition, it was published as a 32 page comic book around the same time. If you want a closer look you can read the entire 10 episode story arc right here. 

If you're interested in the original radio show you can listen to it down below (there are more episodes but here's episode 1):

The opening scene is as epic as it gets. The original Kaliman voice actor from the radio show states that he trusts Jeff Cooper skills to perform as himself during the film. After that the company that produced the film is hilariously called "Kalifilms". I'm clueless if this was done purposely to lead viewers into thinking this was a serious & official live action adaptation or if they just made it to have a laugh at it. 

The film portrays the encounter of Kaliman with his little partner Solin. Together they would cross the streets of Egypt to find the ultimate adventure: a mysterious key that will unlock a secret treasure that apparently holds a source of power and knowledge of extraterrestrial origin. Obviously, there are bad guys behind this same power and so Kaliman with the aid of a family of archaeologists travel across the country to find the missing piece that will unravel the mystery for once and for all. Easier said than done of course, as our main man will fight enemies, free slaves, escape from deadly rouses, mourn his wife and face a lethal enemy as powerful as Kaliman himself.

 

What Batman does in Gotham,I do in Egypt.

Overall, an entertaining film with high production value that remains to this day as the only official adaptation (along with the 1974 sequel) of an iconic Mexican comic book character. In addition, how many superhero films did you watch in 1972? or 1974? this film is a visionaire blockbuster that every connoisseur should watch from start to finish. 

Here's Kaliman El Hombre Increíble* for your viewing pleasure:

 

*The film is public domain now. The spoken language is Spanish but I'm sure you can activate subtitles.