The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) directed by Victor Erice
This film has the reputation of being the greatest film Spain has ever produced. That is some pretty high praise even though I can't really think of any movies Spain has produced. Pan's Labyrinth maybe? It's funny that I mention that film because it actually shares a lot in common with The Spirit of the Beehive. Both are told from the perspective of a child during the Franco dictatorship and blends fantasy with reality.
In the beginning of the film, eight year old Ana and her older sister Isabel go see Frankenstein. Ana is more interested than terrified, asking her sister why does Frankenstein kill the girl and why do the villagers in turn kill him? Isabel tells her that the movie is fake and that nobody actually gets killed. But to play upon her younger sister's naivety, she tells her that the monster is like a spirit and that Ana can talk to him if she closes her eyes and calls out to him.
Naturally Ana tries to summon Frankenstein but to no avail. One day Isabel takes her to an old barn and tells her that it is where the monster lives. Throughout the film Ana will repeatedly visit the barn in hopes of catching him there, but perhaps also to escape the oppressive isolation of the world around her. One day she finds a fugitive soldier hiding there and befriends him. Does she think this is Frankenstein or is she just glad to have an actual friend of her own? Eventually the soldier is found and executed and the next time Ana visits the barn he is no longer there and once again she is all alone in the world. However, Isabel's words still resonate with her; he is like a spirit that you can call upon.
The Spirit of the Beehive may not be for everyone as it is a slow burner without much of a plot, but for there is actually a lot of interesting little things going on. Thinking about the film some more the more beautiful and somber it becomes in my mind. At the time of the film's release it was seen as an allegory of Spain under Franco's rule, but I can only really comment on how I see the film now outside the context of its history and what I see is a film about a lonely child and the pain of growing up. The cinematography of the film reminded me a lot of Days of Heaven. The screen is saturated with this dreamy golden hue, a combination of the yellow fields and the setting sun. Combined with the story, this makes the film have a sort of nostalgic tone that is both beautiful and sad at the same time.
Grade: A-
This film has the reputation of being the greatest film Spain has ever produced. That is some pretty high praise even though I can't really think of any movies Spain has produced. Pan's Labyrinth maybe? It's funny that I mention that film because it actually shares a lot in common with The Spirit of the Beehive. Both are told from the perspective of a child during the Franco dictatorship and blends fantasy with reality.
In the beginning of the film, eight year old Ana and her older sister Isabel go see Frankenstein. Ana is more interested than terrified, asking her sister why does Frankenstein kill the girl and why do the villagers in turn kill him? Isabel tells her that the movie is fake and that nobody actually gets killed. But to play upon her younger sister's naivety, she tells her that the monster is like a spirit and that Ana can talk to him if she closes her eyes and calls out to him.
Naturally Ana tries to summon Frankenstein but to no avail. One day Isabel takes her to an old barn and tells her that it is where the monster lives. Throughout the film Ana will repeatedly visit the barn in hopes of catching him there, but perhaps also to escape the oppressive isolation of the world around her. One day she finds a fugitive soldier hiding there and befriends him. Does she think this is Frankenstein or is she just glad to have an actual friend of her own? Eventually the soldier is found and executed and the next time Ana visits the barn he is no longer there and once again she is all alone in the world. However, Isabel's words still resonate with her; he is like a spirit that you can call upon.
The Spirit of the Beehive may not be for everyone as it is a slow burner without much of a plot, but for there is actually a lot of interesting little things going on. Thinking about the film some more the more beautiful and somber it becomes in my mind. At the time of the film's release it was seen as an allegory of Spain under Franco's rule, but I can only really comment on how I see the film now outside the context of its history and what I see is a film about a lonely child and the pain of growing up. The cinematography of the film reminded me a lot of Days of Heaven. The screen is saturated with this dreamy golden hue, a combination of the yellow fields and the setting sun. Combined with the story, this makes the film have a sort of nostalgic tone that is both beautiful and sad at the same time.
Grade: A-
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