Reviews (540)

Simply Astounding
This movie has a very simple message and you read it in the title Life is Beautiful taking place during the holocaust in Italy no one could ever guess that this movie could be so touching and honest...Roberto Benigni who I believe won the Academy Award for his performance does the wonderful job in the role as a happy go lucky man who's whole life changes during the holocaust and it is up to Benigni to keep his family together...Another refreshing thing to see was the fact that this movie takes place in Italy during the holocaust and what is was really like for jewish families in Italy during the holocaust and very few history students know today that Italy was allies with Germany for a time...I love Benigni and enjoy watching his struggles and watching his love for his son and his wife. Why can't there be more guys like Benigi out there? The DVD features an English language track and of course English subtitles...I prefer the subtitles myself so I can get a real feel for the movie.I have been moved by this movie and you should rent or buy this movie for...by the end of this DVD you'll either be in tears or screaming life is beautiful!

Life is Beautiful, Movies can be Weird
After skimming the reviews here, Roberto Benigni has obviously struck a chord with a lot of people.
I would not argue with them but I found myself with the reviewer who called this film MR. BEAN GOES TO AUSCHWITZ. Actual history proved just too distracting for me to get caught up in this "fable."

Actually, the film I kept thinking of has never been seen: Jerry Lewis' THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED. I've read the script and I can only imagine the reviews of that film if it was ever released! (Now there's a film in itself: a daffy but deranged filmmaker, popping pills and performing pratfalls, producing his movie about a German clown entertaining Jewish kids on their way to the ovens. Yikes.)

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL doesn't go that far, but I found myself constantly distracted by Benigni's rubbery slapstick taking place in a concentration camp. Yeah, it's sweet that he wants to spare his son the horrors of the camp...but they're in a camp, a concentration camp.
The first half of the film actually plays like a whimsical, slightly-more-witty Jerry Lewis movie. Then the Nazis arrive. Individual scenes manage to touch and charm, but overall it just feels very odd.

Jerry Lewis must have gone nuts when Benigni won the Best Actor Academy Award (William Goldman, the sage of screenwriters, certainly did in print by saying this was the greatest Oscar abomination since THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH won Best Picture in the 1950s). I admit I was put off at Benigni's antics at the Oscars--"I LUFF YOU, I LUFF YOU ALL, I MAKE LUFF TO YOU ALL!" I can't even picture Jerry Lewis carrying on that much if he'd won Best Actor for THE BELLBOY. Now that I think about it, maybe he would....

Yes, movies are a great escape from reality--but there are some realities that shouldn't be part of that escape.
We have new generations of kids coming up who are quite removed from the terrifying reality of the Holocaust and the near-slapstick version of it portrayed in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL could diminish the true horror of it.
That heaviness, that memory, made buying into the humor nearly impossible.

"I want to make love to all of hollywood"
The pride of Italy Roberto Benini in his WWII masterpiece, tastefully combining comedy with drama in an oscar winning foreign film. A must have. Make sure you watch it in Italian with the subtitles.

ETMR - Life is Beautiful
1. Humanity: How does Guido express the human quality of endurance?

2. Implications: Life is Beautiful expresses the need for family strength. What does this mean for today?

3. Evolution: Life is Beautiful employs a style that is at first jarring to watch, and then succeeds on its own as a force of comedy. How has this affected cinema since its release in 1998?

4. Realism: Is the game Guido plays with his son feasible realistically?

5. Stageplay: The basic story is one of a man trying to remain optimistic during a time of intense suffering. How does the light-heartedness of the plot change the realistic consequences of the Holocaust?

A Beautiful film
Never before has such a brilliant hybrid of comedy and the tradegy of war been so skillfully woven togen. The film, although disjointed slightly in its early stages, presents a delicate balance between the otrocities of the second world war and the genuine warmth and kindness of its protagonist. There are times when you will you laugh, others that you will feel deeply saddened by the plight of the characters, with the comfortable compromise reached at the film's conclusion leaving a pleasant after taste in spite of the circumstances. Brilliantly acted and filmed, Life is Beautiful presents a different take of what life was like in that dark period of history whilst leaving intact the integrity of the central themes and the brutality of war. This is a movie that can be enjoyed on multiple levels and is a worthy Oscar winner. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always,Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity andembraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (103)

Beautiful
This is an amazing film that gets better every time I see it. The first time I saw it was in Spain, without English subtitles. I figured I had probably missed a significant part of the movie because my spanish is far from perfect, so I rented it as soon as I got back home to America. I've seen it again, and again, and it never gets old. The reason might be that the concept is so original. Beware all people who like only like safe, conventional American movies, this film is not for you. It's plot centers around homosexuals, transvestites, a pregnant nun, a drug-addicted actress, and just about anyone you might expect to see on Jerry Springer. Any one without a VERY open mind might be frightened, worried, "weirded out" etc. by this movie. Nevertheless, despite it's odd cast of characters the movie is really about concepts that are universal. Funny, shocking, dramatic, disturbing, powerful, this movie hits all the bases. You'll want to read Bodas de Sangre (Blood Weddings), a Street Car Named Desire, and watch All About Eve, just to get more of of thisspectacular movie. Almodovar is a genius, the cinematography is great, the plot amazing, what can I say, I love this movie.

All About Las Mujeres....
I bought this dvd recently at a discount as a previously viewed item. I've always enjoyed Pedro Almodovar's work, especially my favorite, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". I had read and heard lots of good things about "All About My Mother" and after watching it, I wasn't let down. Cecilia Roth is excellent as Manela, a mother her loses her only son, Esteban, to a car accident before her very eyes. Grief stricken she decides to run away from Madrid where she lived and return to Barcelona, the city that she left years ago as a young pregnant woman. Once in Barcelona she meets an old friend called La Agrado, a transsexual prostitute, who in turn introduces her to Rosa, a nun, who becomes a new friend. She also finds work with Huma Rojo (played wonderfully by Marisa Paredes) an actress who is touring the country playing Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William's great work, "A Street Car Named Desire". It was this play that she saw with her son the night he was killed, as he was trying to meet Huma Rojo. The story has lots of twists and is always interesting, as you would expect from Almodovar. But it is the relationships between these women that is the real star of this movie. Almodovar explores the depth of friendship and sisterhood between these women but never turns it into a Lifetime Movie. And due must be given to the actresses, in paticular Cecelia Roth, Marisa Paredes and Antonio San Juan. This movie is a great find and I recommend it to all.

It's a womens' world-even the men want to be women!
The death by accident of a mother's much loved son compels her to go to Barcelona and inform the father, who doesn't even know of the boy's existence. Finding the father is not so easy and by going to Barcelona, the mother digs back into a world she had left behind in order to bring up her son. It is a sordid but colourful world with transvestite prostitutes, junkies, an AIDs riddled nun, divas, and the usual associates of one's past. Remember that this is Almodovar, not Ivory-Merchant. However, these people are not displayed as freaks, but portrayed sympathetically. Almodovar celebrates their lives. He does not pass judgement.

Like other Almodovar films, the complex story line shows the strains that pull apart and bring together relationships. The emotional lives of the characters are laid bare. While there may be melodrama, there is a strict avoidance of sentimentality. The acting is wonderful, especially Cecilia Roth, who for some reason reminds me of the British actress, Hannah Gordon.

My only criticism is the use of coincidence. This is also a feature of other Almodovar's films; but here he stretches it a bit far. For instance, first the Cecilia Roth character steps in to take the part of an actress in a professional stage play, to great acclaim, and then when she leaves it, her transvestite friend, who as far as I know has never acted in his life, effortlessly takes over. This is a small criticism. "All About My Mother" is a splendid film by a great film maker. Without being a dreary feminist polemic, it is a celebration of women in all their roles: as mothers, as lovers, as carers; and to those who want to be women. Warmly recommended.

Family Ties
Despite being utterly overrated, "All About My Mother" is still a compelling and well-crafted movie nonetheless. Avoiding the "style over substance" tendencies that marked some of his work, director Pedro Almodóvar delivers a tight and strong cinematic experience with enough drama and comedy to create a relevant achievement. This is a deep story about mothers, sons, and families (conventional or not), with some dysfunctions and problems along the way. The acting is pretty good, the dialogue is realistic and convincing and the direction is adequately intimate and close to the characters. Yet, the movie isn`t as great or remarkable as some seem to claim. Basically, it`s just a well-told story, not a landmark efort. Not great, or even very good, "All About My Mother" is still an interesting melodrama worth checking.

Good enough.

All about What??
The actresses are good. The subject/hidden feeling as explored are also good. However can't the director work out a better, compelling plot line, a reasonable/believable touching story instead of piece together his unconnected dreams?? ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar (Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Ghost story that is scary, stylish and intelligent
"What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain perhaps. Somthing dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect taped in amber".
It is this rumination which opens THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, a ghost story set during the Spanish Civil War directed by Guillermero Del Toro (Mimic, Blade 2) and presented by Pedro Almodovar.
Carlitos is an orphaned 12 year old who is sent to a boarding school that shelters orphans during the last days of the war.
One unwelcome occupant is the ghost of a murdered boy, called "The One Who Sighs" by the other pupils. Carlitos is unlucky enough to come face to face with the hideously disfigured apparition one night where as a dare, the other boys send him downstairs to get some water; but for some reason he ends up in the slug infested basement; where "The One Who Sighs" dwells in a pool conveniently located there.
The movie gets its title from the name given to the deformed spine of dead foetuses, which is preserved in alcohol by an ecentric teacher. The alcohol is then sold in town and touted as a "cure all" remedy...BR>THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a horror thriller that takes its time getting started, but once it does it makes Hollywood's regular crop of horrors look anemic. Scary, stylish and twisty (in addition to twisted) THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE doesn't undermine the viewer's intelligence either. This is a must see for horror fans and film buffs.
Extra features on the DVD include a doco about the making of the movie, trailers, storyboard comparisons and commentaries by Del Toro and the cinematographer.

Magical Realism that the Europeans Do So Well
This is a beautiful film that I discovered through recommendations here. It lived up to those accolades. Only the Europeans seem capable of telling ghost stories on one level yet also combining dramatic elements from the tangible world on other levels within the same film. Here the Spanish Civil War is underway and this one orphanage acts as the focal point for the violence and brutality at large in Spain at the time. Eduardo Noriega (II) is as good here as he was in "Open Your Eyes." He is the villain of the piece from the first moment you see him but he is a deeply layered villain and Noriega presents his full complexity beautifully. The children are wonderful in the story and the episodes with the ghost child will have you on the edge of your seat. This is no American mad slasher film though. It is a fully realized beautifully told tale of righting wrongs in a world gone mad.

nicely done
though some other amazon.com reviews put forth that this is a horror movie, that's not really the case--for the mere presence of a head-wound-gushing ghost and a gaggle of superstitious children does not a horror movie make. i'd say this is really more of a mystery--though that's not entirely accurate either, as the movie goes ahead and spills the beans about who the "bad guy" is early enough that you spend 2/3 of the movie just hoping everyone avoids him (as opposed to figuring out who he is). but TDB is definitely suspenseful, and filled with very well-drawn, well-played characters who are both complex and convincing.

there's a certain formula to a good ghost story, and that formula is a simple one: (a). spooky ghost (b). tries to communicate in order to (c). illuminate the circumstances surrounding his/her death and possibly (d). achieve vengeance and/or (e). protect others from the same squicky fate. it's a good formula, and TDB follows it with an astounding level of expertise.

for some reason, it seems that this is a set up that's easy to screw up; but when the formula is followed well, you end up with all the best elements of horror, suspense, mystery and even romance--all seasoned with a delightfully creepy paranormal ambience. this is most definitely the case with The Devil's Backbone. it is successfully spooky in parts, suspenseful throughout, and deeply romantic; yes, in accordance with the cliche, there's something for everyone.

THE SIXTH SENSE en Espagnol
I am a fan of M. Night Shymalan's THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) and was recommended this Spanish film by none other than my trusty Daddy.

"But it's in subtitles!" I wailed. Still, I was willing to give this little Spanish gem a whirl.

First off, I was taken aback by beautiful cinematography. Spain is captured in a gorgeous, ethereal way and each shot is a puzzle piece for the background of a truly spine-tingling and wonderful movie. The cinematography caught my eye at first glance. The film itself takes place during a pivotal landmark in history - The Spanish Civil War, to be precise.

I also much enjoyed the characters. The film's focus is a young orphan boy named Carlos, wonderfully played by young Fernando Tielve. Unaware that his father was killed at war, he is left in the care of a headmistress named Carmen (Marisa Paredes), who runs a children's orphanage. Carlos, at a tender age, has many issues to deal with, some of them due to being a newcomer at the orphanage, some for other reasons. He no longer lives with his mother and father. The school bully, Jaime, has turned his attention towards Carlos, who is fortunately able to fight for himself. But worst of all, the ghostly apparation of a young missing boy has been making his presence known, haunting Carlos. This key plot point in itself makes me surprised this film was advertised as merely a drama in Spain - in the U. S. of A, it was more classified as a horror film.

Each cast member of THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE gives a 3-dimensional and captivating performance. The two most noteworthy performances are from Paredes and Tielve, he as a young child who must face his inner demons, and she as a firm but loving headmistress who is amidst the contemplation of whether or not, in her heart, she wishes to support the Leftist cause during her country's war.

Please don't let the subtitles talk you out of this breathtaking and truly chilling film, the ideal paradigm of superb leads, cinematography, dialogue, screenplay, and so much more. Guillermo del Toro is a director to watch. While the suspense of THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE gradually and expertly unfolds, the story does, as well. It does not disappoint.

Sleepless
After watching this amazing film, I found it impossible to sleep. The special effects were simple, and superb. Not only the riveting cinematography, which completely captivated me, and what goes down in my book as the most petrifying ghost ever, but the story - it was moving, and political, and moral, and utterly enthralling. Truly a sublime film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Seething passions, wandering ghosts, and an unexploded bomb fill this beautifully filmed tale of war and suspense. Though The Devil's Backbone was advertised as a horror movie in the States, it's really more of a drama that happens to have ghosts in it. During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all. The movie is full of excellent performances, especially by Marisa Paredes as the gruff-but-kind headmistress, Eduardo Noriega as the handyman with secrets to keep, and Federico Luppi as the benevolent professor who likes to keep deformed fetuses in jars. A rich, satisfying drama with some good, spooky fun thrown in. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Ghost story that is scary, stylish and intelligent
"What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain perhaps. Somthing dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect taped in amber".
It is this rumination which opens THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, a ghost story set during the Spanish Civil War directed by Guillermero Del Toro (Mimic, Blade 2) and presented by Pedro Almodovar.
Carlitos is an orphaned 12 year old who is sent to a boarding school that shelters orphans during the last days of the war.
One unwelcome occupant is the ghost of a murdered boy, called "The One Who Sighs" by the other pupils. Carlitos is unlucky enough to come face to face with the hideously disfigured apparition one night where as a dare, the other boys send him downstairs to get some water; but for some reason he ends up in the slug infested basement; where "The One Who Sighs" dwells in a pool conveniently located there.
The movie gets its title from the name given to the deformed spine of dead foetuses, which is preserved in alcohol by an ecentric teacher. The alcohol is then sold in town and touted as a "cure all" remedy...BR>THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a horror thriller that takes its time getting started, but once it does it makes Hollywood's regular crop of horrors look anemic. Scary, stylish and twisty (in addition to twisted) THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE doesn't undermine the viewer's intelligence either. This is a must see for horror fans and film buffs.
Extra features on the DVD include a doco about the making of the movie, trailers, storyboard comparisons and commentaries by Del Toro and the cinematographer.

Magical Realism that the Europeans Do So Well
This is a beautiful film that I discovered through recommendations here. It lived up to those accolades. Only the Europeans seem capable of telling ghost stories on one level yet also combining dramatic elements from the tangible world on other levels within the same film. Here the Spanish Civil War is underway and this one orphanage acts as the focal point for the violence and brutality at large in Spain at the time. Eduardo Noriega (II) is as good here as he was in "Open Your Eyes." He is the villain of the piece from the first moment you see him but he is a deeply layered villain and Noriega presents his full complexity beautifully. The children are wonderful in the story and the episodes with the ghost child will have you on the edge of your seat. This is no American mad slasher film though. It is a fully realized beautifully told tale of righting wrongs in a world gone mad.

nicely done
though some other amazon.com reviews put forth that this is a horror movie, that's not really the case--for the mere presence of a head-wound-gushing ghost and a gaggle of superstitious children does not a horror movie make. i'd say this is really more of a mystery--though that's not entirely accurate either, as the movie goes ahead and spills the beans about who the "bad guy" is early enough that you spend 2/3 of the movie just hoping everyone avoids him (as opposed to figuring out who he is). but TDB is definitely suspenseful, and filled with very well-drawn, well-played characters who are both complex and convincing.

there's a certain formula to a good ghost story, and that formula is a simple one: (a). spooky ghost (b). tries to communicate in order to (c). illuminate the circumstances surrounding his/her death and possibly (d). achieve vengeance and/or (e). protect others from the same squicky fate. it's a good formula, and TDB follows it with an astounding level of expertise.

for some reason, it seems that this is a set up that's easy to screw up; but when the formula is followed well, you end up with all the best elements of horror, suspense, mystery and even romance--all seasoned with a delightfully creepy paranormal ambience. this is most definitely the case with The Devil's Backbone. it is successfully spooky in parts, suspenseful throughout, and deeply romantic; yes, in accordance with the cliche, there's something for everyone.

THE SIXTH SENSE en Espagnol
I am a fan of M. Night Shymalan's THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) and was recommended this Spanish film by none other than my trusty Daddy.

"But it's in subtitles!" I wailed. Still, I was willing to give this little Spanish gem a whirl.

First off, I was taken aback by beautiful cinematography. Spain is captured in a gorgeous, ethereal way and each shot is a puzzle piece for the background of a truly spine-tingling and wonderful movie. The cinematography caught my eye at first glance. The film itself takes place during a pivotal landmark in history - The Spanish Civil War, to be precise.

I also much enjoyed the characters. The film's focus is a young orphan boy named Carlos, wonderfully played by young Fernando Tielve. Unaware that his father was killed at war, he is left in the care of a headmistress named Carmen (Marisa Paredes), who runs a children's orphanage. Carlos, at a tender age, has many issues to deal with, some of them due to being a newcomer at the orphanage, some for other reasons. He no longer lives with his mother and father. The school bully, Jaime, has turned his attention towards Carlos, who is fortunately able to fight for himself. But worst of all, the ghostly apparation of a young missing boy has been making his presence known, haunting Carlos. This key plot point in itself makes me surprised this film was advertised as merely a drama in Spain - in the U. S. of A, it was more classified as a horror film.

Each cast member of THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE gives a 3-dimensional and captivating performance. The two most noteworthy performances are from Paredes and Tielve, he as a young child who must face his inner demons, and she as a firm but loving headmistress who is amidst the contemplation of whether or not, in her heart, she wishes to support the Leftist cause during her country's war.

Please don't let the subtitles talk you out of this breathtaking and truly chilling film, the ideal paradigm of superb leads, cinematography, dialogue, screenplay, and so much more. Guillermo del Toro is a director to watch. While the suspense of THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE gradually and expertly unfolds, the story does, as well. It does not disappoint.

Sleepless
After watching this amazing film, I found it impossible to sleep. The special effects were simple, and superb. Not only the riveting cinematography, which completely captivated me, and what goes down in my book as the most petrifying ghost ever, but the story - it was moving, and political, and moral, and utterly enthralling. Truly a sublime film. ... Read more

Description

Klaus (Gunter Meisner of THE BOYS OF BRAZIL) is an ex-Nazi, a doctor whose war-time post in a concentration camp enabled him to commit the most appalling sex crimes against boys. After the war, living incognito in Spain, he again gives in to his depraved desires, until shame and despair drive him to an unsuccessful suicide attempt...

Now confined to his room and kept alive on an iron lung, he is ministered to by his resentful wife Griselda (Marisa Paredes of ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) and her daughter Rena (Gisela Echevarria). Into this environment comes Angelo (David Sust), a strange, handsome young man who offers his services as a nurse. Against Griselda's judgement, Klaus insists that the visitor be allowed to take the post.

A perverse relationship develops between Angelo and Klaus, becoming ever more macabre as Angelo reveals he has found diaries detailing his employer's war-time activities. Words turn to deeds, Klaus's shame turns once again to desire, and a new spate of child killings begin...

Described by filmmaker John Waters as more intense than Pier Paolo Pasolini's SALO. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Masterful examination of human depravity
IN A GLASS CAGE [Tras el Cristal] (Spain - 1986): Confined to an iron lung following an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a former Nazi doctor (Gunter Meisner) is visited in his isolated country home by a mysterious young man (David Sust) who professes knowledge of Meisner's 'work' with young boys in the concentration camps, where the doctor had cultivated an appetite for sadistic sexual abuse. Harboring terrible secrets of his own, Sust begins to undermine Meisner's terrified family, culminating in a resumption of the doctor's hideous 'experiments'...

Agustin Villaronga's magnificent feature debut premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1986, where it was alternately cheered and denounced for its unflinching gaze into the abyss of human corruption, and the movie's extreme subject matter prompted its subsequent lapse into obscurity. However, Villaronga's subsequent works (including MOON CHILD [El Nino de la Luna, 1989] and THE SEA [El Mar, 1999]) have travelled the international festival circuit to great acclaim, leading to a belated reappraisal of IN A GLASS CAGE, his darkest, most harrowing movie to date. Ostensibly a slow-burning melodrama punctuated by a series of Hitchcockian/Argentoesque set-pieces (most notably a nerve-shredding sequence in which Almodovar favorite Marisa Paredes - here playing Meisner's harried wife - is stalked through the house by Sust when she becomes surplus to his requirements), the film asks profound questions about the monsters which lurk inside each and every one of us, and illustrates with startling clarity the cyclical nature of sexual abuse. Some viewers, especially parents of young children, will undoubtedly be horrified by some of the confrontational material included here, as Villaronga refuses to soft-peddle the horrors conjured by his nightmare scenario (the film's second murder is especially shocking, though there's very little on-screen gore). In a brief interview with the director included on this DVD, he explains how some of the more unpleasant scenes involving children were created by having them play a series of innocent 'games' which were then edited into the finished product, and there's a disclaimer in the closing credits (annoyingly untranslated on the DVD) which offers an unequivocal reassurance that none of the young actors were exposed to anything inappropriate during filming, and that a child psychologist was present during the recording of those sequences.

Beautifully played by a fearless cast (veterans Meisner and Paredes are appropriately subdued, whilst newcomer Sust makes a startling transition from handsome, fresh-faced innocent to strident Nazi demi-god, rampaging through Meisner's increasingly devastated home with newfound sexual maturity) and filmed with genuine skill by a top-notch production team, Villaronga's extraordinary film explores the wartime ghosts which continue to haunt the collective European consciousness. To his eternal credit, the director approaches his subject with deadly seriousness: Using numerous cutaways to photographs of children taken in concentration camps at the end of the Second World War, he deflects any suggestion of 'exploitation' by constantly reminding viewers of the historical truth which underpins his fictional drama. By turns haunting, horrific and deeply disturbing, IN A GLASS CAGE is an authentic masterpiece, one of the finest - and most difficult - movies to emerge from Spain during the 20th century. However, be warned: Not everyone will be swayed by the film's courage and audacity, and some viewers will be genuinely shocked by Villaronga's uncompromising approach to the material.

Cult Epics' DVD improves on an earlier VHS release by Cinevista, but is compromised by unavoidable technical drawbacks: The original negative appears to be caught up in some kind of litigation, so the distributors were forced to work from a PAL master, without anamorphic enhancement. Picture quality is fine overall, but the print is a little dark in places. Audio on the first pressing was marred by sync problems, which were plainly obvious on larger monitors, and while the second pressing eliminates most of these issues, the sound still drifts out of sync by a few frames during the movie's second half (cf. the kitchen scene at 81:17, for example). The optional English subtitles are excellent.

107m 3s [PAL master at 25fps; originally 111m 30s]
1.85:1 / Letterboxed
DVD Soundtrack: Mono 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: Optical mono
Spanish with optional English subtitles
All regions

A MUST
THIS FILM IS EXTRAORDINARY. IT WAS SOMEWHAT DISTURBING, LIKE MOST GREAT FILMS.

DISAPPOINTING
After reading the other reviews of this film, I bought the DVD and eagerly anticipated a glut of horrible child murders. WAS I DISAPPOINTED!! This is not a horror film. The very slow moving first half focuses on the main character's wife (who is the best actor in the thing, BTW) and she delievers the only sharpness to the thing. The scene of the kid dying after being syringed in the heart is acted very phonily, and the kid with his throat cut is a cop out, focusing on his chest (and his underwear is kept on) and not seeing the blade drawn across his throat. Way too much bombed-out European feel and not enough bodies. To read these other reviews, I can hardly believe I bought the same movie as they. Way too much screen time is devoted to the nurse(who's way too handsome to be scary) and the daughter (who is an ugly and boring little actress). The old Nazi has very few horrible Nazi scenes and is confined to an iron lung for the WHOLE movie and cannot generate terror!!! This movie is not shocking!!! Only 2 boys R killed in this thing, BTW.

A STUNNING PIECE OF FILM !!!!
I'd heard about Tras El Cristal many years ago when being a (slightly!) younger boy....it was 1 of those "legendary" movies you read reviews about(from the lucky few to see it) it's 1 of those "pure"(in cinematic terms?) films so cold yet warm, on finally viewing it now (especially as an an adult who was abused as a child) this movie has done more for me than countless years of counselling!! don't get me wrong as with the other reviews the movie IS graphic(though not overtly) & disturbing(very) but it is told with such style & grace that the movie should not suffer for it's "notorious" reputation, gorehounds beware....this is not the movie for you!! it has visual flourishes in the styles of Mario Bava,Dario Argento Antonio Marghereti...all those Italian Grand Stylists(though the movie is spanish)....it contains 1 of the most disturbing/stylish/erotic murder scenes i've EVER seen(not graphic & NOT with a child) tell your friends about this movie ENJOY IT give it the reputation it truly deserves........as a stunning piece of cinema....remember when movies were meant to make you feel emotion .....well this will bring your faith back in the power of the medium HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

SHATTERED [an then sum...]
{OK ~ in some ways we are privvy to the Mason Verger fantasies and scenes edited from "Hannibal"} but in this form we see .

...A revenge cycle?

Quirky little tale about what goes around comes around [again and agin] ~ somewhat a sister to 'Salo" - a worthy sister, but the victims are pre-teen and the graphic violence is disturbing.

There are touches of 'Nosferatu' here and looks like Coppola borrowed the red flowing cloak [the crane shots of the protagonist in full steam] from this saga.

Faces are quite handsome and fairly entertaining - but not not not for the squeamish.

[Wonder just how they got away with this one .....]

'For a Lost Soldier' is similar yet more poignant.

Not forgetting "The Night Porter"

....somewhat a homage to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" too ....... ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Can I have my two hours back please?
I absolutely adore Vincent Perez. I think he's an amazing actor, I love some of his other work and he ain't too bad on the eyes, if you know what I mean...(See La Reine Margot and Indochine!) However, this movie was a drag. I am an avid movie fan, but this was the first time I had ever really noticed the effects of bad casting and NO on-screen chemistry. Nilch. The scenery was beautiful and the cast had great potential, but the weak script, underdeveloped storyline, and the director's awful attempt at the occasional "artsy" camera shot drove me nuts. I felt no emotional attachment to the characters or the passion they SHOULD have had for each other. Such a waste! See this movie ONLY if you need a quick Perez fix or if you have too much free time...

For those of you who like period pieces...
Don't listen to the other reviews concerning zero chemistry! Polly Walker and Vincent Perez may not be another Scarlett and Rhett, but they are by no means a Richard and Winona from "Autumn in New York." This bittersweet tale involves a beautiful young Irish woman and her adventures as a governess in Spain. As a war stirs in the background, the governess deals with issues of doomed love while she fights to remain brave during her year in Spain. Will she forget about her "true love" back home? Will she consummate her relationship with her employer's married son? Enjoy the lovely scenery of Spain as you take a trip back in time with this intriguing drama. If you liked "House of the Spirits," you'll probably like this movie.

A Thoughtful Film about Revolutions - Political and Personal
TALK OF ANGELS is a beautifully photographed, well written, and sensitively acted story about how political upheavals alter our interpersonal relationships. The time is 1936 and the place is Spain in the throws of Fascism and Franco. A wealthy family (Marisa Paredes is the mother, Franco Nero the father with three daughters the eldest of whom is Penelope Cruz) in an unnamed Spanish city has just hired a governess from Ireland to teach their children proper English. The governess, Lavelle, (Polly Walker) has taken the job to put distance between her Irish activist betrothed and herself, finding the need to explore the world before settling for what she has. In her new Spanish home Lavelle encounters other Irish expatriots who have fled Ireland's upheavals only to find those of Spain. Among these eccentric women is one (Frances McDormand) who falls in love with Lavelle. The family for whom Lavelle works attempts to stay outside the political upheaval that fills the streets at night. All proceeds smoothly until the son Francisco (Vincent Perez) visits with his wife and family in tow. Francisco supports the Spanish activists, and Lavelle slowly falls in love with him - the embodiment of the ideals of her own betrothed. Sides are drawn and defined in the political arena and in the personal arena, and it is the resolution of both that provides an open end to the story.

The acting is first rate with Polly Walker incandescently beautiful and delivering a character role with great sensitivity. Vincent Perez is her perfect foil and the rest of the fine cast draw unforgettable characters. There is much to be learned here about the political milieu in Spain in the 1930s. And there is even more to experience in the beauty of the conversations, the dancing, the vistas of Spanish landscapes. The musical score is lush and wisely orchestrated. This is a little sleeper of a film that deserves repeated viewings to catch all the levels of meaning. Recommended.

A Great Film for Romantics
The scenery and the story are beautiful as our the lovers Polly Walker and Vincent Perez. Candace Serviss

Excellent.
This wonderfully acted tale takes place in the mist of the Fascist's rise to power in Spain. The movie tells the story of an Irish nanny, how she contends with her peers and the family she works for. She falls in love with the married son of the family--but while a theme in the movie, it is not the major one. Instead, the movie focuses in on the family dynamic and how different members of the family contend with the social and political strife around them, told through the eyes (to use a cliche) of the nanny.

Sadly, because this movie doesn't rely on nude scenes, things blowing up every five minutes are cursing every other word, few have heard of this movie. My recommendation would be that you get a copy of this movie ASAP. ... Read more

Description

Based on the true story of the "Lonely Hearts Murders," renowned director Arturo Ripstein’s Deep Crimson (Profundo Carmesí) is an emotionally charged and profoundly original take on serial killing. Nicolas Estrella has made a meager living seducing and then stealing from lonely, often widowed, women he meets through the personal ads in local newspapers. While trying to victimize Coral, a hefty, half-mad nurse obsessed with Estrella’s movie star looks, Nicolas can’t help falling in love with her merciless enthusiasm for his seedy lifestyle. Together, the pair roam the back roads of Mexico looking for lonely women who Nicolas seduces and the insanely jealous Coral then murders. These lovers turned assassins feed on the misery of others with each murder binding them together all the more closely until a pitiful confession from Nicolas prompts the pair’s fitting demise. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Merciless And Brilliant.
"Deep Crimson" is a merciless movie that dwelves into human depravity and murder. It's directed by Arturo Ripstein, Mexico's most respected director who used to work under the wing of Luis Bunuel. In fact,there is a lot of Bunuel style in "Deep Crimson," a movie thatshocks not only in violence, but in the entire story and characterstructure. In it's own way it's visceral and the performances are alwayschillingly convincing. Ripstein and his writer, Paz Alicia Garciadiego arenot afraid to offend the audience and don't hold back, looking at realityunblinkingly. The photography is really rich, gritty and artistic."Deep Crimson" can be seen as a study of human perversion mingledwith lust and depravity. These are characters down on the evolutionaryscale who resort to murder for petty reasons, and the way the murders arecarried out and the way these characters act and the way Ripstein films itwith such realism, is what makes the film effective and disturbing."Deep Crimson" shows how sometimes American cinema can be reallytame, Ripstein obviously isn't and shows his brilliance for realistic andeffective cinema here. Obviously he learned well from Luis Bunuel, whom"Deep Crimson" would make proud.

Much ado about nothing much
The way Roger Ebert and TIME magazine described this movie made me buy it and see it. I was expecting a gruesome masterpiece, something like Buñuel's "Los Olvidados" or any film by Bigas Lunas. Certainly, ArturoRipstein directing is always a good omen, but... alas, it was not to be!

Sure, the story is quite disturbing, but not as shocking as you'd think.Daniel Giménez Cacho and Regina Orozco are O.K. but not in their roles of alifetime. The girl playing the last victim makes the best performance ofthem all, and Almodóvar's favorite Marisa Paredes is thoroughly wasted inthe most dreadful acting I've ever seen. Too bad, really, but worthwatching once.

Remember, it ain't over 'til the fat lady... sinks! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Masterful examination of human depravity
IN A GLASS CAGE [Tras el Cristal] (Spain - 1986): Confined to an iron lung following an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a former Nazi doctor (Gunter Meisner) is visited in his isolated country home by a mysterious young man (David Sust) who professes knowledge of Meisner's 'work' with young boys in the concentration camps, where the doctor had cultivated an appetite for sadistic sexual abuse. Harboring terrible secrets of his own, Sust begins to undermine Meisner's terrified family, culminating in a resumption of the doctor's hideous 'experiments'...

Agustin Villaronga's magnificent feature debut premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1986, where it was alternately cheered and denounced for its unflinching gaze into the abyss of human corruption, and the movie's extreme subject matter prompted its subsequent lapse into obscurity. However, Villaronga's subsequent works (including MOON CHILD [El Nino de la Luna, 1989] and THE SEA [El Mar, 1999]) have travelled the international festival circuit to great acclaim, leading to a belated reappraisal of IN A GLASS CAGE, his darkest, most harrowing movie to date. Ostensibly a slow-burning melodrama punctuated by a series of Hitchcockian/Argentoesque set-pieces (most notably a nerve-shredding sequence in which Almodovar favorite Marisa Paredes - here playing Meisner's harried wife - is stalked through the house by Sust when she becomes surplus to his requirements), the film asks profound questions about the monsters which lurk inside each and every one of us, and illustrates with startling clarity the cyclical nature of sexual abuse. Some viewers, especially parents of young children, will undoubtedly be horrified by some of the confrontational material included here, as Villaronga refuses to soft-peddle the horrors conjured by his nightmare scenario (the film's second murder is especially shocking, though there's very little on-screen gore). In a brief interview with the director included on this DVD, he explains how some of the more unpleasant scenes involving children were created by having them play a series of innocent 'games' which were then edited into the finished product, and there's a disclaimer in the closing credits (annoyingly untranslated on the DVD) which offers an unequivocal reassurance that none of the young actors were exposed to anything inappropriate during filming, and that a child psychologist was present during the recording of those sequences.

Beautifully played by a fearless cast (veterans Meisner and Paredes are appropriately subdued, whilst newcomer Sust makes a startling transition from handsome, fresh-faced innocent to strident Nazi demi-god, rampaging through Meisner's increasingly devastated home with newfound sexual maturity) and filmed with genuine skill by a top-notch production team, Villaronga's extraordinary film explores the wartime ghosts which continue to haunt the collective European consciousness. To his eternal credit, the director approaches his subject with deadly seriousness: Using numerous cutaways to photographs of children taken in concentration camps at the end of the Second World War, he deflects any suggestion of 'exploitation' by constantly reminding viewers of the historical truth which underpins his fictional drama. By turns haunting, horrific and deeply disturbing, IN A GLASS CAGE is an authentic masterpiece, one of the finest - and most difficult - movies to emerge from Spain during the 20th century. However, be warned: Not everyone will be swayed by the film's courage and audacity, and some viewers will be genuinely shocked by Villaronga's uncompromising approach to the material.

Cult Epics' DVD improves on an earlier VHS release by Cinevista, but is compromised by unavoidable technical drawbacks: The original negative appears to be caught up in some kind of litigation, so the distributors were forced to work from a PAL master, without anamorphic enhancement. Picture quality is fine overall, but the print is a little dark in places. Audio on the first pressing was marred by sync problems, which were plainly obvious on larger monitors, and while the second pressing eliminates most of these issues, the sound still drifts out of sync by a few frames during the movie's second half (cf. the kitchen scene at 81:17, for example). The optional English subtitles are excellent.

107m 3s [PAL master at 25fps; originally 111m 30s]
1.85:1 / Letterboxed
DVD Soundtrack: Mono 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: Optical mono
Spanish with optional English subtitles
All regions

A MUST
THIS FILM IS EXTRAORDINARY. IT WAS SOMEWHAT DISTURBING, LIKE MOST GREAT FILMS.

DISAPPOINTING
After reading the other reviews of this film, I bought the DVD and eagerly anticipated a glut of horrible child murders. WAS I DISAPPOINTED!! This is not a horror film. The very slow moving first half focuses on the main character's wife (who is the best actor in the thing, BTW) and she delievers the only sharpness to the thing. The scene of the kid dying after being syringed in the heart is acted very phonily, and the kid with his throat cut is a cop out, focusing on his chest (and his underwear is kept on) and not seeing the blade drawn across his throat. Way too much bombed-out European feel and not enough bodies. To read these other reviews, I can hardly believe I bought the same movie as they. Way too much screen time is devoted to the nurse(who's way too handsome to be scary) and the daughter (who is an ugly and boring little actress). The old Nazi has very few horrible Nazi scenes and is confined to an iron lung for the WHOLE movie and cannot generate terror!!! This movie is not shocking!!! Only 2 boys R killed in this thing, BTW.

A STUNNING PIECE OF FILM !!!!
I'd heard about Tras El Cristal many years ago when being a (slightly!) younger boy....it was 1 of those "legendary" movies you read reviews about(from the lucky few to see it) it's 1 of those "pure"(in cinematic terms?) films so cold yet warm, on finally viewing it now (especially as an an adult who was abused as a child) this movie has done more for me than countless years of counselling!! don't get me wrong as with the other reviews the movie IS graphic(though not overtly) & disturbing(very) but it is told with such style & grace that the movie should not suffer for it's "notorious" reputation, gorehounds beware....this is not the movie for you!! it has visual flourishes in the styles of Mario Bava,Dario Argento Antonio Marghereti...all those Italian Grand Stylists(though the movie is spanish)....it contains 1 of the most disturbing/stylish/erotic murder scenes i've EVER seen(not graphic & NOT with a child) tell your friends about this movie ENJOY IT give it the reputation it truly deserves........as a stunning piece of cinema....remember when movies were meant to make you feel emotion .....well this will bring your faith back in the power of the medium HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

SHATTERED [an then sum...]
{OK ~ in some ways we are privvy to the Mason Verger fantasies and scenes edited from "Hannibal"} but in this form we see .

...A revenge cycle?

Quirky little tale about what goes around comes around [again and agin] ~ somewhat a sister to 'Salo" - a worthy sister, but the victims are pre-teen and the graphic violence is disturbing.

There are touches of 'Nosferatu' here and looks like Coppola borrowed the red flowing cloak [the crane shots of the protagonist in full steam] from this saga.

Faces are quite handsome and fairly entertaining - but not not not for the squeamish.

[Wonder just how they got away with this one .....]

'For a Lost Soldier' is similar yet more poignant.

Not forgetting "The Night Porter"

....somewhat a homage to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" too ....... ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Quiet restrained Almodovar with love to Spanish Culture
A quiet restrained Almodovar movie, rich with symbols and style (artistic shots made through different patterns - mirrors, straw chair patterns, etc.). This movie is also a tribute to the Spanish culture - dance, food and various elements of the folklore which appear in lace making, landscape and portrayal of "country people".
This is the story of Leo (Marisa Paredes) who is a writer. Leo writes her stories under a pseudonym as she is not proud of the sugary love stories she writes. This "real/unreal love" is one of the main themes and conflicts of the movie. Leo, under again another pseudonym attacks her own love stories while Angel, her new boss and friend writes in favor of the sugary author. Should we believe the dramatic love story which always comes with a happy ending but is somewhat untrue or should we write / or dream about everyday truthful life where love, like other achievements comes after hard work?
In the opening scene Leo has trouble getting her boots off - the boots are a present from her husband and she wears them although they are so tight she cannot breath. In what is later understood as a very symbolic act she tries to take the boots off in various ways but succeeds only after her friend Betty manages to help her. Betty works in the transplant section of the hospital (transplants and the detailed process of explaining the death of a dear one to his relatives also appear in Almodovar "all about my mother" and Almodovar is definitely doing a great service to this matter). Leo drinks a lot. She is very miserable and misses her husband who is in the army. Leo knows they are having problems but it seems that the viewer is in a better position to understand the nature of their relationship. Leo is both aware of problems yet blind to several facts that are presented to her face (blindness is another motive - as Leo's mother who was brought from the country to live with Leo's sister in the city is half blind, yet there are several things she can "see" very well). When Leo finally understands the truth - she falls apart and is aided back to life by her family and new friend.
This is first of all a love story, but more then that this is a story of loyalty vs. infidelity (on the one hand we have Blanka, Leo's faithful maid and on the other side her close friend), city vs. country, and once and again the question of truth - in relationships, in writing, and maybe in art in general (through the story of Blanka and her son dance group).
Marisa Parades is convincing and is aided by a lovely group of actors of which I would like to mention Leo's sister, Rossy de Palma whose face is so memorable you cannot forget. This actress has also participated in Almodovar movie "Kika" and makes a strong impression.

Hooray for Hollywood
You either love or hate Aldomovar films. This one may win over a new legion of fans but is very unlike most of his movies. So which is the real Aldomovar, the straight romanticist or the outrageous dierctor? Probably both but more bizarre than stright considering his style leans more to wacky characters verses isn't she sweet characters. This movie is different from any of his previous works in that it is, well for lack of a better word, mundane. This is not one of my favorite Aldomovar movies. The plot is simple, a woman is in crisis in her life, unhappy in her marriage, writing (romance) novels that are about everything she is missing in her life, and her denial of what she needs, real romance. Marisa Paredes, who has beeen hilarious in other Aldomovar films is just ok as the novelist in the story, Amanda Gris. Her full talents are not utilized though as she is not as funny in her depiction of Amanda, it's just not in the character I guess. Check out some of her other roles and you'll see what I mean, she's better in the other movies. Her husband is consumed with his career and other "projects". It is a bit of a sad story and maybe too close to real life, that is why some will love it and others not. More women will like this than men, translation dare I say, chick flick. This is more of a mainstream movie that departs from Aldomovar's usual flair for the unusual usual suspects. For me this movie and the performances were just to ordinary. That said many will love it.

My favorite Almodóvar
I agree with what the second reviewer says about this sensitive, passionate, lyrical portrayal of a courageous, strong, disciplined woman whose nemesis, as always, results from the heart. The betrayals she suffers are as profound as her love is and Marisa Paredes comes through as one of the half a dozen or so most important film actresses of the decade. One particular scene, the mother returning to her native village, provides one of the most exquisite moments in film: the background text and the sight and the voice becoming a separate moment of intense recollection and joy. Nothing misfired about this genuine masterpiece. ''Mamadoc'' s.marie

Perfect story about people's search for love and comfort...
This film is perhaps especially telling to people in their 40's and 50's, because character's search for love and comfort can only be fully appreciated by people of this age, who are more or less in the same situation as this woman-novelist with numerous emotional problems and no solution to them.

She does find a solution eventually, but you have to wait until the end of the film to see that. It will not dissapoint you at all; in fact, it might surprise you a great deal...

Wonderful supporting characters (e.g. novelist's mother and sister) make this film an outstanding thinking piece about human life. Very deep!

Lovely and Touching . . .
. . . and maybe those aren't words fans normally associate with Almodovar, at least when not linked to words like "junky," "transvestite," or "porn star." I disagree with the reviewer who termed this a misfire--it's simply a more thoughtful film by this usually over-the-top director. Visually, one of his most arresting films, Almodovar chooses to focus this time on the distance between true love and idealized love as seen in romance novels and how they sometimes intersect in surprising ways. Marissa Paredes shows stunning range as the main character--at times both critically stung and deeply needy and yet passionate and cocky . . . boy, do you root for her. And the scene in which she is literally pushed by a mob of protesters into the arms of the man she could be truly happy with is one of the best in movies. NOT a disappointment at all. ... Read more

Description

Young and hot-headed, Angstel has been stood up by his girlfriend for the last time. With a newly-acquired bundle of counterfeit cash, he buys the affections of Ancetta, a sultry exotic dancer. Together they take to the road in a hot sports car with a trunkload of guns for a wild highway adventure on the backroads of South America. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Style without substance or plot
This is a film which is heavy on style but unfortunately has no substance whatsoever and only minimal vestiges of a plot (contract killer and prostitute go on the run through Chile pursued by a drug/art forgery ring, though why is never entirely clear). As such, it's not really a road movie or a gangster movie or a romance, just an opportunity for a few stylish French actors and actresses to stand around murmuring cod philosophy in tres chic clothing. Plus there's an appearance from the late Joe Strummer, who plays "Vince Taylor" (an obscure-yet-hip reference to the '60's rocker who wrote "Brand New Cadillac", which Strummer's band The Clash recorded a cover version of on "London Calling") and is onscreen for maybe 10 minutes max despite having fourth billing in the credits.

In short, "Doctor Chance" is a film that thinks it's a lot cooler than it really is and isn't really worth 96 minutes of anyone's time. 2 stars for being stylish, 0 stars for the rest.

DR CHANCE
I love this film. It's so great... Es el WITKACY Movie...
ES EL CRAVAN MOVIE. ES EL RIGAUD MOVIE... All the heroes of this lost century are HERE...
Last message of an erotoman, toxicoman, megalomaniac...
Viva la Revolucion... Davamesk B2 Will Vain... ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Who but Pedro Almodóvar would make a movie in which a nightclub singernamed Yolanda, whose boyfriend has died from a heroin overdose, hides fromthe police in a nunnery--only to discover that the nuns have more perverselifestyles than her own? The nuns of Dark Habits use drugs, writelurid pulp novels, design high-fashion habits, and keep a tiger in theircourtyard. Yolanda (Cristina Sanchez Pascual) gets caught up in the headnun's scheme to regain the patronage of a wealthy noblewoman, butbetrayal, illicit love, and a campy musical number are waiting in thewings. Dark Habits features Almodóvar regulars Carmen Maura andMarisa Paredes, as well as a bit part by Cecelia Roth of All About MyMother. Fans of Almodóvar's magnificent later films (like Habla ConElla (Talk to Her)) may find Dark Habits a bit thin, but it offers its owncharms and comic delights. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Old School Almodovar
Seeing that Almodovar's new movie (La Mala Educacion) has to do with the catholic church, I felt it appropriate to go back and see this old one. Glad I did. Very funny film.
Though the dvd quality is not that great (and several scenes have been deleted), the film still stands up to the test of time. A drugged out singer takes refuge in a convent run by nuns with serious issues. These nuns do heroin, drop acid, read trashy novels, and even have lesbian tendencies.
The acting is great, the women (most of whom you are familiar with if you've seen other Almodovar films, Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes, etc)do a fine job, they created a very charming and entertaining group of "sisters."
While this is not the best Almodovar film, it is still a funny ditty that is better than 95% of the films that come out these days.

Sad Release
It is amazing that after all these years wating for such a great movie on DVD it finallly comes out with some scenes deleted... plus the DVD transfer is not so great... avoid this and go for the VHS, it contains the complete movie and quality is about the same...

If you love this movie, the DVD is not for you
Sadly, this release has been edited. Four to five scenes have been deleted and, for the life of me, I cannot understand the reason behind these cuts. The scenes in question did not contain any material that could be offensive to anybody. Maybe the studio has plans to release the "Director's cut" in a few months, thus hoping, that all of us idiots would go out and buy it again.

The Pleasures of Pedro Almodovar
Perhaps it is because Spain is the place of origin of the Surrealism movement in art that has propelled Pedro Almodovar's career. But whatever the genes or historical influences, Almodovar is one of the most consistently creative and outrageous directors working in the industry today. The public has become aware of his gifts through his recent tender films (All About My Mother, Talk To Her, etc) but this zany romp dates back to 1983 when he was able to take on anything and create parody (Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Matador, etc).

This time around it is the Catholic Church he examines. A convent exists for women in the throes of desperation (drugs, prostitution, other crimes) and the Sisters all bear humiliating names (Sister Rat of the Sewer, Sister Manure, etc) as per the design of the order. The hilarity comes form the sub-vocations of the nuns which include dealing and using heavy drugs, writing pulp novels, voyeurism, etc. Even the Priest affiliated with the convent is more committed to sewing gaudy dresses than tending to his parish. The story is slight - a victim singer takes refuge in the declining convent and helps to salvage its support from a stingy and wealthy widow of their main source of financing. Things just get crazy, zany, and at times ridiculous, but you just can't help liking this batch of ladies. A refreshing romp!

BEWARE!! THIS IS AN EDITED VERSION!!
I must foremost thank Wellspring, the distributor of this film, for releasing this Almodóvar masterpiece on DVD..however..I am not sure who was behind this release..but, being familiar with the original release of this film..I was shocked and perplexed for the fact that this DVD issue is an EDITED version, cutting off approx. 15 mins of this film. I dont know WHy they did this, or what...I felt they cut off some important scenes..

#1..Yolana Bell's opening number, where we first see her performing..she did a song called "Dime" (which is in fact, a Spanish version of Morris Albert's "Feelings")

#2. a conversation among the Redeeming sisters and a redeemed girl from the past, where they run into each other on the Sister's outdoor stand, where they sell cakes, flowers and peppers.

#3. The Sisters' explaining to nuns from their mother chapter, that they had been robbed, talking it over the punch bowl. Also cutting off a funny line, where the sisters gossip over a younger nun, saying that "she's far to pretty for this vocation, but time will take care of that"

#4. A small bit of Sister Rat From Sewer's opening speech before Yolanda's performance for the Mother Superior's birthday party. in this DVD issue, they go straight to Sister Rat talking on stage, completely taking out her peeking out from the curtain and quieting down the crowd.

but ultimately, I am happy that this movie saw the light of day AGAIN, it had been out of print on video for years..so, its a great buy, but be bewared that it's edited. If u have never seen this movie before, then it wont be a problem. Hardcore fans like myself might have a problem. ... Read more