Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)

el Espíritu de la colmena
SP, 95 min

Set in the wake of the Spain’s devastating civil war. After a screening of the original Frankenstein in a remote Castilian village, a thoughtful little girl goes in search of the monster. She comes upon a lot more, though; some of it monstrous, some not.

Widely regarded as the greatest Spanish film of the 1970s. Produced as Franco’s long regime was nearing its end, The Spirit of the Beehive is a spellbinding portrait of a child’s haunted inner life and one of the most visually arresting movies ever made.

the Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro, 2001)

el Espinazo del diablo
SP/MX, 106 min

A new student at a school for orphans attempts to uncover the killer of the ghost who haunts the orphanage during the final days of the Spanish Civil War.

i’ll give it a “really rather good”. not really sure i understand who the target audience is supposed to be, considering the adult themes present, but it’s certainly more satisfying and less derivative than its “spiritural sequel”, which, in spite of del toro’s clear skill with imagery…

Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)

el Laberinto del fauno
MX/SP/USA, 112 min

A lonely young girl concocts a fantasy world in which to escape from her oppressive life in 1940s Spain.

a treatment on fantasy and fairy tales
beautiful enough, great performances, blah blah
but geez, excess hype sure ruins everything.
moreover, i kept having the feeling that i’d seen it before.
and what’s with the R ratings on these movies?
are they intended for nostalgic adults?
i may give it another chance in the distant future;
in the meantime…