Monday 23 April 2012

Carlos Saura's Flamenco Trilogy ★★★★☆

During the 1980s - and as one of Spain's most influential directors - Carlos Saura moved away from his Franco-era political films such as Ana y Los Lobos (1973) and the sensational Cria Cuervos (Raise Ravens, 1976) to focus on his lifelong passion for flamenco. Saura created a sumptuous trilogy examining this quintessentially Spanish element of Hispanic culture, using flamenco's rigidly choreographed dance routines and vibrant music to depict the powerfully emotive themes of romance and unrequited love. The first film in the Flamenco Trilogy is Blood Wedding (1981), a rural Andalusian tragedy starring Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos and Antonio Jimenez which depicts a dance company performing a dress rehearsal of Federico García Lorca's play of the same name. An intense and passionate tale of arranged marriage and secret romance, Blood Wedding is a 'behind-the-scenes' expose of musical productions which not only captures the brooding emotions behind its subject matter but also allows a fascinating insight into the mechanics behind such stage performances. Read More...

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