THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
To be screened at Walter Reade Theater
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Friday, April 1, 2011 3:15 PM

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE is best described as an experience. It is a moody, beautiful, atmospheric film that takes you into the mind of a young girl and, more importantly, into your own mind.

Some beautiful stills from the picture that hint at the film's haunting nature are posted below.

It is also usually regarded as a politically important movie, as well as one of the classic masterpieces of Spanish cinema, It has a rare showing at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on April 1 at 3:15.

There are many strong and interesting opinions about this film. Some sample articles are listed at the end of this post.

Ana Torrent, the unforgettable star of this film, 5 years old at the time of filming, continues to work as an actress, and has been seen recently in the US as Katherine of Aragon in THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, and also in LUNA'S GAME. She has a role in Roland Joffe's THERE BE DRAGONS, which is scheduled for release here in May.

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Ana Torrent
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE


LINKS

ANA TORRENT - IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868479/

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE - IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070040/

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE - WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_the_Beehive

VICTOR ERICE, DIRECTOR - WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Erice

SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/spiritbeehive.php

JANUS FILM CLASSICS AT LINCOLN CENTER
http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/janus-films-classics

THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

http://www.filmlinc.com


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THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical drama about the reign of King Henry VIII of England. His Queen and first wife Catherine Of Aragon was not producing a male heir. Henry began sexual relationships with Mary Boleyn and her sister Anne. In order to marry Anne, he needed to divorce Catherine -- but the Pope would not allow the tie to Catholic Spain to be severed by a divorce. So Henry broke with the Catholic Church and founded the Church of England.

Those religious and political events are not the focus of this film. They remain in the background as the relationship between the blonde, nice sister Mary (played by Scarlett Johansson) and the scheming ambitious Anne (played by Natalie Portman) is the true subject of this film's story. (The film is based, somewhat loosely, on a novel, by Philippa Gregory which is based, somewhat loosely, on the known historical facts.) Though a "historical" drama, students facing a final exam or term paper on the Tudors in England might not want to rely on the details described in this movie as their basic research source.

The acting is excellent. Ana Torrent is very powerful as Catherine of Aragon. (Ana Torrent, by the way, is a distinguished Spanish actress who first gained notice as the child in the Spanish classic film Spirit Of The Beehive -- a film which in its attention to the mind of a young girl, but no other way, was a precurser of Pan's Labyrinth).

Accepting the film as a human scale drama of normal young women -- actually just girls at the beginning -- caught up in power plays with far more history and tradition than they can comprehend, this is an interesting story of sibling interactions and people just figuring things out as they grow up.