rating:
(out of
4 stars)Spain; 1973
Directed by Víctor Erice; produced by Elías Querejeta; written by Víctor Erice, Ángel Fernández Santos, Francisco J. Querejeta
Starring Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera,Ana Torrent, Isabel Tellería, Ketty de la Cámara, José Villasante
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
'El Espíritu de la Colmena' ('The Spirit of the Beehive') is a beautiful
film from Spanish art director Víctor Erice, made in the last years of the
Franco dictatorship. It is set right after the Spanish Civil War in 1940,
although it could have been after any war. With a lot of symbolism it tells
the story of an isolated family in Spain.
In a small town sisters Ana (Ana Torrent) and Isabel (Isabel Tellería) watch
a screening of 1931's 'Frankenstein'. The young Ana is intrigued, especially
by the scene where the monster meets the little girl (the part where he
throws her into the water is cut from the version), and asks the older
Isabel about the creature. She explains he is not dead; she can create him
by simply closing her eyes. She also tells Ana that he lives around a
deserted barn; Ana finds a wounded Republican soldier instead. We also meet
the children's parents, very isolated from each other. He is a beekeeper and
we see him mainly with his bees, we see her when she writes to an unknown
person. Of course these people stand for the circumstances under a
dictatorial regime, the circumstances under a war. The symbolism in 'El
Espíritu de la Colmena' is effective here. It helps providing the film with
the right kind of atmosphere.
One of the most admirable things here is the cinematography. Luis Cuadrado
provides us with images, reflecting the isolated situation in a perfect way.
Sometimes his images seem paintings from Vermeer, with the light from
outside coming through windows, also resembling a honey comb. Every image
Cuadrado gives us is beautiful in its own way. Director Erice does some nice
other things here. He uses sounds off-screen again to give a feeling of
isolation. Sometimes a person reacts to a sound and we can only guess what
he or she is thinking.
A last thing I have to mention is the very effective use of Ana Torrent,
especially her eyes. If there is one thing you will probably remember it
will be her eyes. Torrent really makes us see things through her eyes, her
perspective, and that is exactly how the events should be seen. Whether this
is Torrent's performance, Erice's direction or maybe even Cuadrado's
cinematography that bring those eyes to the center of the film I leave in
the middle. It is one of the wonderful delights from this beautiful film.