Cinemateca, January 21-27 January 18, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

José Luís’s Pick’n’tip

The Pick:

The Spirit of the Beehive

“Made under the Franco regime, Victor Erice’s astonishing 1973 feature debut is quite simply one of the most remarkable, influential and purely poignant films to emerge from the seventies. A bona-fide classic of European cinema, the film brought Erice instant and widespread acclaim. An audacious critique of the disastrous legacy of the Spanish Civil War, The Spirit of the Beehive is set in a rural forties Spanish village haunted by betrayal and regret. Atmospherically rendered by legendary director of photography Luis Cuadrado, it is impeccably performed by both Ana Torrent (age five!) and Fernando Fernan Gomez in the role of her emotionally scarred, bee-keeping father. Existing in a highly evocative dreamlike state, it’s a powerfully symbolic, richly allegorical tale that is as unique as it is beautiful.”

Beehive is widely regarded as the greatest Spanish film of the seventies. Produced as Franco’s long regime was nearing its end, it is a bewitching portrait of a child’s haunted inner life and one of the most visually arresting movies ever made.

The Tip: In order to provide the best viewing experience, the show times for some movies may be adjusted to accommodate their length. Be sure to check the schedule carefully. I also want to remind you of our new ticket price: 50 pesos and discount cards buy 12 shows for 450 pesos. Starting Monday, after 11am, buy your tickets in advance for any movie or show of the week. If you have a discount card, collect your pass to secure a seat; don’t take the risk of being locked out…Nos vemos en el Cine…Would you like to receive this info by email? Write to José Luís at alephamour@hotmail.com.  Thank you.



The Movies:

The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colmena) (1973)
Monday, January 21 at noon
Tuesday, January 22 at noon
Spanish drama, Spanish with English subtitles, 99 minutes
Director: Víctor Erice. Cast: Ana Torrent, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ketty de la Cámara, Isabel Telleria. 
In this mesmerizing allegorical tale set in post-Civil War Spain, precocious young Ana (Ana Torrent) becomes obsessed with finding the spirit of Frankenstein’s monster after watching director James Whale’s 1931 classic. When she happens upon a wounded military deserter, Ana believes that she’s evoked the cinematic creature. They feel sorry for the way the Karloff character was treated and and, misguidedly, think it is their duty to make amends by helping the tramp. They let him remain hidden, sheltering in the barn where they bring him food. Throughout the film the paralysing effect of Franco's dictatorial regime is atmospherically combined with the poetic portrayal of the fantasy world of childhood. You are never quite sure how much of a threat to the safety of the children this man really is. It seems only natural to transfer the Frankenstein monsters attributes to him, especially as this is where Erice appears to be guiding us, but this is too simplistic.Helmed by Victor Erice, the film also stars Fernando Fernan Gomez and Teresa Gimpera as Ana’s disengaged parents.

Special Quetzalcoatl Mural Premier
Friday, January 2 at 2pm (By invitation and 30 tickets for general public)
and Friday, January 2 at 3 pm (open for all public)
Biblioteca production, English, 28 minutes
Painter: David Leonardo. Director: Dora Guzman. Translation: Leigh Bohné
Quetzalcoatl in Nahuatl means Feathered Serpent, the god who rescues the bones of the ancient people from the underworld and combines them with corn, creating the Mazehuales, the “Ones.” Around him four figures make the number five altogether, a number related to Venus. The breathtaking story, full of of color and profound ancient beliefs, is depicted in the great mural Quetzalcoatl: The Eternal God, painted by one of the last great Mexican muralists. David Leonardo spent almost two years completing the mural, which covers the entirety of the Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca Pública. For the first time we will get to hear from the painter’s voice the complete explanation of this unique piece of the Mexican ancient cultures. We will have two shows. The painter, producer, filmmaker and personalities of San Miguel will attend the one at 2pm; only 30 seats will go on sale. The second screening at 3pm is open to the public. 

Kids Movies: Cartoons
Saturday, January 26 at 12 noon

Musical Saturdays:
Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio
Saturday, January 26 at 2:30pm, 140 minutes
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio; also known as Il Seraglio) is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie. The plot concerns the attempt of the hero Belmonte, assisted by his servant Pedrillo, to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the seraglio of the Pasha Selim.

The opera was first produced at the command of the Austrian emperor Joseph II on July 16, 1782 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The premiere was a great success and established the reputation in Vienna of Mozart, who had moved there from his native city of Salzburg the previous year. Unfortunately, it did not make him rich. He received a flat fee of 100 ducats and never shared in the financial windfall over the remaining nine years of his life. The opera fulfilled a longtime wish of the emperor, namely to bring to the Burgtheater a successful German opera; previous performances there had been successful only when they were imitations or translations of foreign works.

In the movie Amadeus, the bickering of the emperor’s Italian music advisors often concerned Seraglio and The Marriage of Figaro (1786), based on a controversial French play. Mozart was not yet 30 when he finished Figaro, an opera favorite for over two centuries.