El día de la bestia (The Day of the Beast, 1995)
Written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Starring: Álex Angulo, Santiago Segura, Armando de Razza
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
Spanish cinema lost one of its most talented and at the same time humble actors very recently. Álex Angulo, who passed away in a car accident at 61 years of age, received hundreds of condolences from fellow actors and artists right after the tragic news reached the net. He was really loved and respected in the profession, and also by the public. At this point, some non-Spanish readers might be wondering who this actor was and which films did he star in. He appeared in various Spanish TV series – Periodistas, for example – and several films. His international breakthrough came with Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth, in which he played the merciful and Republican supporter Dr Ferreiro. In Spain though, Angulo was remembered – and will always be – as Father Berriatúa, Álex de la Iglesia’s El Día de la Bestia’s popular anti-hero. Read More…
La lengua de las mariposas (Butterfly’s Tongue, 1999)
Directed by José Luis Cuerda
Written by Rafael Azcona, José Luis Cuerda and Manuel Rivas
Starring: Fernándo Fernán Gómez, Manuel Lozano, Guillermo Toledo.
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
How can a war shape a country and its people? To what extent may social pressure affect the behaviour and political ideas of individuals? And most importantly, can a conflict change dramatically the way a child perceives the world around him? La lengua de las mariposas takes place shortly before the start of the Spanish Civil War, Read More…
El sol del membrillo (The Quince Tree Sun, 1992)
Directed by Víctor Erice
Written by Víctor Erice and Antonio López
Starring: Antonio López, Marina Moreno, Enrique Gran
BY SERGIO ROMERO
Víctor Erice’s film El sol del membrillo (1992) introduces us to the difficult and complex world of art and more specifically that of painting. This is not the first time that Víctor Erice has used the artistic world as the basis for one of his films – allusions to painters such as Jan Vermeer, Velázquez, Rembrandt or Edward Hopper are Read More…
Belle Époque (1992)
Directed by Fernando Trueba
Written by Rafael Azcona, José Luis García Sánchez and Fernando Trueba
Starring: Jorge Sanz, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil, Penélope Cruz, Fernándo Fernán Gómez.
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
When Fernando Trueba picked up the Oscar for his 1992 film Belle Époque he stated that, as he didn’t believe in God, he wished to thank Billy Wilder instead for helping him win the award. Just a few hours later, Trueba received a phone call from Wilder himself, who famously greeted him saying “Hi Fernando, it’s God here”. The truth is Read More…
Tierra (Earth, 1996)
Written and directed by Julio Médem
Starring: Carmelo Gómez, Emma Suárez, Karra Elejalde, Silke, Nancho Novo
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
There is a certain amount of complexity in Julio Medem’s films. The Basque director has developed his own fictional universe through a very recognisable range of elements which often include non-chronological narration, incomplete stories and emotionally unstable characters. Medem – who graduated in Medicine and Read More…
Los Sin Nombre (The Nameless, 1999)
Directed by Jaume Balagueró
Written by Jaume Balagueró and Ramsey Campbell
Starring: Emma Vilarasau, Karra Elejalde, Tristán Ulloa
BY R. MARTÍNEZ
When Jaume Balagueró’s first feature length Los Sin Nombre was released in Spain in 1999, the hope for the then almost extint Spanish horror genre started being restored. Balagueró and other directors of his generation – like Paco Plaza (Rec, El Segundo Nombre) – reopened the door for Spanish audiences to take pride on Read More…
Alas de Mariposa (Butterfly Wings, 1991)
Directed by Juanma Bajo Ulloa
Written by Eduardo Bajo Ulloa and Juanma Bajo Ulloa
Starring: Silvia Munt, Fernando Valverde, Susana García, Laura Vaquero
“Alas de Mariposa”’s opening scene takes place in a hospital’s maternity ward. There Carmen (Silvia Munt) has given birth to a baby girl called Ami. Far from being happy though, Carmen feels disappointed for not having brought a male offspring into the world. Six years later, Ami has grown up an introvert little girl who loves drawing Read More…
Spanish Film Review Club 