2006 Spanish Film Festival
Spanish Filmfest sampler
El Abuelo/The Grandfather (1998) by Jose Luis Garci
151 minutes
Jose Luis Garci is renowned for lavish melodrama set in picturesque location. That is the case with To Begin Again, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 23 years ago.
El Abuelo is no different except that the story - about a proud, old man confronting his aristocratic past and the truth behind his two granddaughters - is stretched too much. Futhermore, certain scenes reminded me of those old Hollywood tearjerkers.
But Abuelo is memorable for three reasons: the topnotch screenplay by Garci and Benito Perez Galdos (adapted from his novel of the same title); Manuel Balboa’s stirring musical score; and the wonderful performance of Fernando Fernan Gomez (in the title role).
Machuca (2004) by Andres Wood
121 minutes
1973 is unforgettable in Chilean history. It's the year when General Augusto Pinochet led the military in ousting leftist President Salvador Allende. Costas-Gavras tackled that subject in Missing. Wood may be late (early 70s seems like ages ago), but he did better.
Administrators of Saint Patrick School attempt to integrate kids from the upper class and the lower class. That experiment results to rich boy Gonzalo Infante being good friends with slum kids Pedro Machuca and his cousin Silvana. It’s a good set up, but when Chile's turbulent events affect the school, the lives of these kids will never be the same again.
Wood's approach is realistic and it's full of subtleties that hint on the tension existing within Chilean society. Both made Machuca scathing and heartbreaking.
Both El Abuelo and Machuca are among the films to be featured during the Spanish Film Festival. It will run from October 3-15 at Greenbelt 3.
(First published in Inquirer Libre on October 2, 2006)
El Abuelo/The Grandfather (1998) by Jose Luis Garci
151 minutes
Jose Luis Garci is renowned for lavish melodrama set in picturesque location. That is the case with To Begin Again, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 23 years ago.
El Abuelo is no different except that the story - about a proud, old man confronting his aristocratic past and the truth behind his two granddaughters - is stretched too much. Futhermore, certain scenes reminded me of those old Hollywood tearjerkers.
But Abuelo is memorable for three reasons: the topnotch screenplay by Garci and Benito Perez Galdos (adapted from his novel of the same title); Manuel Balboa’s stirring musical score; and the wonderful performance of Fernando Fernan Gomez (in the title role).
Machuca (2004) by Andres Wood
121 minutes
1973 is unforgettable in Chilean history. It's the year when General Augusto Pinochet led the military in ousting leftist President Salvador Allende. Costas-Gavras tackled that subject in Missing. Wood may be late (early 70s seems like ages ago), but he did better.
Administrators of Saint Patrick School attempt to integrate kids from the upper class and the lower class. That experiment results to rich boy Gonzalo Infante being good friends with slum kids Pedro Machuca and his cousin Silvana. It’s a good set up, but when Chile's turbulent events affect the school, the lives of these kids will never be the same again.
Wood's approach is realistic and it's full of subtleties that hint on the tension existing within Chilean society. Both made Machuca scathing and heartbreaking.
Both El Abuelo and Machuca are among the films to be featured during the Spanish Film Festival. It will run from October 3-15 at Greenbelt 3.
(First published in Inquirer Libre on October 2, 2006)
posted by Francis Rex Alger @ 5:35 PM
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