Spanish Movie Marathon

In order to show people something more about Spain , we organized a Spanish Film Night for the volunteers around (ok we were only three but we did invite everyone!!) and I think we spend a great evening.

THE FILMS

We started the night with the first wonder in Spanish Cinema, the short surrealistic movie: Un Chien Andalou, by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. As every good surrealistic artist they based this film in a dream they had. Buñuel´s dream was a full moon pierced by a thin cloud and (the most famous scene of the movie) a girl´s eye being cut by a knife.

Dali´s dream was a complicated metaphor about society, taboos, sexuality, etc starring Lorca ("le chien andalou") that later would die because of his homosexuality.

After the war, Buñuel had to exile in France and Mexico so did his cinema.




As long movies I selected two of what I believe are the best Spanish movies, from very different times and styles.

EL VERDUGO




The first one was from the 50s, El verdugo. And for me it´s the best movie in Spanish cinema, it´s about death penalty and it was done during Franco´s regimen so it was really difficult to speak about certain things, going through censure. Some of the things it criticized are still present in some aspect of the life not only in Spain and I think this makes it more valuable.


Even with this they are quite free to speak about some real stuff, and sometimes is quite evident. It´s a satire of the 50s society, the urbanism problem, the starting tourism, the decency limits, etc






TESIS


This film is the first by Alejandro Amenabar, nominated to the Oscars for Inside the Sea (Mar Adentro) and I think is still one of his best works (with Abre los Ojos, Open your Eyes) and whoever thinks Spanish Cinema is not enough good should have come to this film night because I think we probed it´s really good. This film is from the early 90s but still fresh.


Amenabar did a great work not only with the direction and script but also with the music.





FESSER

And so we finished with something more contemporary. A short movie by Fesser about the north-south difference where we can really learn about Happiness.