Spanish Films/Themes by Title
| Title | Call ID # | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aguirre: The Wrath of God | VGE 301 |
Werner Herzog: German (English subtitles) 94 mins. 1973. In the mid-1500's, a large Spanish expedition searching for the mythical lost city of Eldorado detached an advance party to explore a tributary of the Amazon; They never returned. Werner Herzog expanded this obscure historical incident into a spectacularly horrifying chronicle of imperialism gone amok. Klaus Kinski delivers a magnificent performance as Don Lope de Aguirre, a power-driven lunatic who dreams of stealing an entire continent. |
| All About My Mother | DVSP 801 |
Pedro Almodovar. Spanish (English and French subtitles) 102 mins. 1999. Donated by Prof. Cecile Insdorf, Dept. of Romance Languages, May 2000. Internationally acclaimed writer/director Pedro Almodovar delivers his finest film yet, a poignant masterpiece of unconditional love, survival and redemption. Manuela is the perfect mother. A hard-working nurse, she's built a comfortable life for herself and her teenage son, an aspiring writer. But when tragedy strikes and her beloved child is killed in a car accident, her world crumbles. The heartbroken woman learns her son's final wish was to know of his father - the man she abandoned when she was pregnant 18 years earlier. Returning to Barcelona in search of him, Manuela overcomes her grief and becomes caregiver to a colorful extended family: a pregnant nun, a transvestite prostitute, and two troubled actresses. With riveting performances, unforgettable characters and creative plot twists, this touching screwball melodrama is 'An absolute stunner. A funny, touching and vital film marks a career peak for Almodovar!' - Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE |
| Alsino and the Condor | VSP 300 |
Miguel Littin: Spanish (English subtitles) 89 mins. 1986. Set in present day Central America, 'Alsino and the Condor' is the first fictional feature ever made in Nicaragua. It has been widely acclaimed for its honest depiction of the clash between Central American governments and Sandinista rebels. It is the story of a boy's dream of flying above the madness of the world around him. It is about his fantasies, his courage, and above all, it is about the human spirit soaring to freedom. |
| Amores Perros | DVSP 807 |
Alejandro González Iñárritu. Spanish (English & French subtitles) 153 mins. 2000. Three lives become inextricably linked in the wake of a terrible car crash: a young punk stumbles into the sinister underground world of dog fighting; an injured supermodel's pooch disappears into the apartment's floorboards; and an ex-radical turned hit man rescues a gun-shot Rotweiler. Discover why Amores Perrosis the best reviewed film of the year. |
| And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him |
VENG 339 |
Severo Perez: English 99 mins. 1994. This is a haunting and powerful film about a young Mexican-America boy's coming of age amid the poverty and adversity he and his family face as migrant farm workers in the 1950s. Twelve -year-old Marcos hides under a house, recalling the fragmented, painful memories of his family's transient life the year before. A series of moving and simultaneously disturbing episodes unfold into a poignant story of inner-strength and human values vs. blind faith. After seen innocent workers die in the fields, his family nearly killed by heat exhaustion, and the atrocities committed by the couple in whose care he is entrusted, Marcos has little faith left in the superstitions which rule his family's life-and is willing to make a deal with the devil to change his destiny. |
| Ay, Carmela |
VSP 327 |
Carlos Saura: Spanish (English subtitles) 105 mins.1991. In Spain,1938, the country is torn apart by Civil War between the Republicans and Franco's fascist forces. Carmela and Paulino are Republicans and traveling entertainers who innocently make a wrong turn one night and end up prisoners of the Fascists. They are about to be executed along with a town full of Republican prisoners, when they are discovered by a young theatre-loving Lieutenant. He persuades the army to let them stage a show to entertain the troops, and Paulino agrees in order to save his and Carmela's life, but she is unaware of his betrayal. |
| The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez |
VENG 348 |
Moctesuma Esperanza. English. 105 mins. 1983. It is 1901, and two Texas cultures -the Anglo and the Mexican- live side by side in a state of tension and fear. On June 12 Gregorio Cortez (Edward Olmos), a young Mexican family man shoots and kills a sheriff in self-defense. For the next 11 days, he eludes an inflamed posse of 600 Texas Rangers in a 450 mile chase across Texas. His manhunt captures the nation's interest, and his eventual trial is tainted by the extreme emotions of the country. To some Cortez becomes an instant folk-hero; to most others, however, he is considered a very dangerous criminal. It takes 12 years to learn the truth. Donated by Prof. Alicia Ramos; Dept. of Romance Languages. |
| Before Night Falls | DVSP 828 | Julian Schnabel. Spanish (English Subtitles ) 133 minutes. Julian Schnabel (Basquiat) directs this incredible journey through the life and work of the late Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. Victimized by a government that banned his books and jailed him for a crime he didn't commit, Reinaldo endured unspeakable persecution in a courageous stand against censorship and oppression. Without a country but not without integrity, he fled to America where he continued to fight for personal expression and produced a stirring body of work. Featuring a dual performance by Johnny Depp, Before Night Falls is a tribute to the liberating power of art.. and one man's undying passion for life. |
| Belle Epoque | DVSP 813 | Fernando Trueba. Spanish (English Subtitles) 110 mins. This is the irresistible story of Fernando, a handsome young Spanish Civil War deserter, who befriends a free-thinking artist. Fernando finds himself in a romantic dilemma when the artist's four beautiful daughters return to the country home. Which woman should he romance? The answer is hilariously simple, as Fernando is seduced instead, by each of the high-spirited sisters. BELLE EPOQUE is a rollicking sensual romp celebrating newfound sexual freedom for women. A delicious blend of humor and passion that captured the Oscar (1993) for Best Foreign Language Film. |
| Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman | VSP 347 |
Berman & Tardan. Spanish (English subtitles) 100 mins. 1995. A funny and thoughtful look at the changing nature of gender roles, Entre Pancho Villa y una Mujer Desnuda (Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman) follows a couple with amusingly different ideas about what makes for a healthy, intimate relationship. Concerned that the years are passing her by, Gina looks for a commitment from her longtime boyfriend Adrian. Angered by his refusal to marry, and fed up with his sexist attitudes, she takes a younger and more sensitive man as her lover. Adrian, however, will not surrender his woman or his antiquated ways of thinking. Channeling the spirit of Pancho Villa himself, he tries to fully embrace his machismo and win back the passion of Gina. Entre Pancho Villa y una Mujer Desnuda is a bright, intelligent romantic comedy , with sparkling performances from Diana Bracho as Gina, Arturo Rios as Adrian, and Jesús Ochoa, who won Mexico's Silver Ariel for Best Supporting Actor for his winning performance as the ghost of Pancho Villa. |
| Bitter Sugar | VSP 342 |
Leon Ichaso Spanish (English subtitles) 102 mins. 1996. Donated by Prof. Cecile Insdorf, Dept. of Romance Languages, May 2000. A visceral, energizing look at contemporary Cuba, BITTER SUGAR is an impassioned love story set against the political and economic tensions of Havana. Gustavo, an idealistic youth Communist with a glorified vision of Castro's regime, falls in love with Yolanda, a disenchanted dancer who longs to escape to Miami. However, Gustavo learns that love alone cannot sustain them in a city about to erupt and slowly awakens to the devastation around him. His rebellious musician brother injects himself with the AIDS virus in civil protest; his father realizes that he will earn more money as a barroom pianist in a tourist hotel than as a doctor. Filled with an intoxicating Latin beat and rapid camera movements, director Leon Ischaso (El Super, Sugar Hill, Miami Vice) weaves a blazing tale of romantic and political passions amid the ruins of the Cuban Revolution. |
| Bizet's Carmen | DVSP 834 | Francesco Rosi: French (English & Spanish subtitles) 136 mins. Set in the sun-scorched city of Seville, Bizet's Carmen stars Placido Domingo and Julia Mignes Johnson in posssibly the most stunning portrayal ever of the world's most popular opera. An untamed gypsy siren-Carmen-captures the heart of straight-laced army corporal Don Jose inspiring him to desertion from nis post, his family and his honor. But when another suitor-the dashing toreador, Escamillo-steals Carmen's affections, Don Jose is filled with a reckless rage that threatens the future of all three. With both soldier and bullfighter unwilling to relinquish his claim to her, a deadly duel of jealousy builds, fueled by the unbridled passion of their beloved Carmen. |
| Black River | VSP 332 |
Atahualpa Lichy: Spanish (English subtitles) 116 mins. 1990. Atahualpa Lichy's remarkable Black River bursts onto the screen with all the splendor and majesty of the far reaches of the Venezuelan Amazon, where absolute power corrupts absolutely. The year is 1912, and a new governor and his ambitious wife (Angela Molina) successfully confront the brutal local chief. However, the cruel and decadent era they usher in is one of gambling, prostitution and economic exploitation. Frank Ramirez plays the head of security who grabs control, only to initiate a regime of austerity and restriction as madness buries good intentions. The landscape is pure Garcia Marquez, and the stakes are high as the Spanish begin to exploit and rule the inner coastal regions of the river. |
| Blood Wedding | VSP 303 |
Carlos Saura: Spanish (English subtitles) 71 mins. 1981. A flamenco ballet version of Federico Garcia Lorca's classic, from the director of Carmen. The climax of this dramatic story is a duel to the death between the bridegroom and the bride's former lover. Featuring choreographer Antonio Gades, former director of the National Ballet of Spain. Music by Emilio de Diego. |
| Boquitas Pintadas (Painted Lips) |
VSP 329 |
Torre Nilsson: Spanish ( English subtitles) 120 min. 1974. Lies, double personalities, and the evil pettiness of life in a small town converge in Leopoldo Torre Nilsson's brilliant adaptation of a novel by Manuel Puig. Nene, a married woman with two children, receives news that her childhood sweetheart, Juan Carlos, has died. She gradually pieces together a complex mosaic of his life. What emerges is a brilliant, acid-sharp portrait of a man driven by fear into a life of self-deception. |
| Buena Vista Social Club | DVSP 802 |
Wenders. Spanish (English subtitles) 105 mins. 1999. "The Buena Vista Social Club," guitarist Ry Cooder's celebrated album featuring the recently rediscovered talents of Cuba's foremost folk musicians, sold millions of copies and earned an Grammy award. Now, Cooder teams up with acclaimed director Wim Wenders to reveal the astonishing life stories, vibrant personalities, and unforgettable music of the brilliantly talented but long overlooked performers, who collaborated on this now legendary recording period. From the crumbling barrios of their native Havana, to their triumphant, sold out concerts in Amsterdam and New York City's Carnegie Hall, it's an unforgettable, deeply emotional journey into the passion, pride and humanity of the artist whose music sparked a world wide musical phenomenon! |
| El Burlador de Sevilla |
VSP 340 | Tirso de Molina. Spanish. 2 hours. 1988. A superb production of Tirso's most famous work, the play that introduced the theme of Don Juan into European literature. An RTVE production. |
| Butterfly |
DVSP 808 |
José Luis Cuerda. Spanish (English subtitles) 94 mins. Acclaimed by critics and featuring legendary star Fernando Fernán Gómez (All About My Mother), Butterfly is a heartwarming tale about a young boy growing up in a small Spanish town. Moncho is timid and fearful as he starts school for the first time. But with the nurturing guidance of his kind and devoted teacher, Don Gregorio (Fernán Gómez), a world of possibilities begins to open up for young Moncho. As the school year comes to a close, however, civil war begins sweeping across the county, forcing the boy's family and community to choose between the fight for freedom and the threat of persecution! An amazing story of family and friendship during a time of extreme conflict- you're sure to enjoy this magical motion picture! |
| Cabeza de Vaca | VSP 326 |
Nicolas Echevarria. Spanish (English subtitles) 110 mins. 1993. In 1528, a Spanish expedition founders off the coast of Florida-600 lives lost. One survivor, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, roams across the American continent searching for his Spanish comrades. Instead he discovers the Iguase, an ancient Indian tribe. Over the next eight years, Cabeza de Vaca learns their mystical and mysterious culture, becoming a healer-and a leader. But soon this new world collides with the old world as Spanish conquistadors seek to enslave the Indians, and Cabeza de Vaca must confront his own people and his past. |
| Camila | VSP 304 |
Maria Luisa Bemberg: Spanish (English subtitles) 105 mins. 1984. A young Catholic socialite from Buenos Aires falls in love and runs away with a young Jesuit Priest. The two find temporary happiness in a small provincial village, but eventually they are recognized and ultimately condemned to death without a trial. |
| La Celestina |
DVSP 817 | Gerardo Vera. Spanish (English Subtitles) 155 mins. Calisto is a young knight who has fallen madly in love with a beautiful maiden, Melibea (Penélope Cruz). Failing in his endeavors to win her over, Calisto is prompted by his unscrupulous servant, Sempronio, to seek the help of Celestina. Calisto's other servant Parmeno, tries to dissuade his master from resorting to the old witch who Parmeno knows all about from past experiences. However, Calisto sees Celestina as his last hope for love and happiness and so pays her to work her magic on Melibea, which she duly does. The young knight and the beautiful maiden are soon happy lovers, but not for long... |
| La Ciudad y los Perros |
VSP 317 | Francisco J. Lombardi: Spanish (English subtitles) 135 mins. 1985. Four angry cadets, who have formed an inner circle in an attempt to beat the system and ward off the boredom and stifling confinement of the military academy, set off a chain of events that starts with a theft and leads to murder and suicide. First published in 1962, 'La Ciudad Y Los Perros' (The Time of the Hero)was written by the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, who has become a leading author of Latin-American literature. The same year the book won the Biblioteca Breve Prize, an award given to the best work of fiction in the Spanish language. |
| Cria! | VSP 301 |
Carlos Saura: Spanish (English subtitles) 115 mins. 1977. A beautifully acted haunting film-Ana, played by Ana Torrent, is the nine year old heroine who has an uncanny talent for observing scenes not meant for her eyes. Carlos Saura fashions a film about the darker side of childhood, about superstition, knowledge and loss of innocence. |
| The Crime of Padre Amaro (El Crimen del Padre Amaro) |
DVSP 805 |
Carlos Carrera. Spanish (English, French subtitles) 119 mins. 2003. A recently ordained priest (Bernal) is sent to help an aging priest run a small parish church in rural Mexico. Upon arriving at his new post, he meets a beautiful young woman with a religious passion that borders on obsession. Quickly, her passion for faith becomes helplessly entangled in a growing attraction to the new priest. But when the handsome priest crosses the line that separates temptation from sin, he finds himself torn between the divine and the carnal, the righteous and the unjust. |
| Danzon | VSP 311 |
Maria Novaro: Spanish (English subtitles) 103 mins. 1991. This sensual,exuberant work by the gifted Mexican director Maria Novaro tells the story of Julia (Maria Rojo), a 40-year old telephone operator and single mother whose emotional life consists of ballroom dancing. When her dancing partner disappears, Julia undertakes a grueling odyssey to locate him. Her search takes her on an extraordinary inner voyage. |
| Death and the Maiden (La Muerte y la Concella) | DVENG 806 | Roman Polanski English ( Spanish Subtitles) 103 Mins. 1995. Paulina Escobar is the housewife to a prominent lawyer in an unnamed South American country just out of a dictatorship. One day a storm forces her husband to ride home with a neighbor. That chance encounter brings up demons from her past, as she is convinced that the neighbor (Dr. Miranda) was part of the old fascist regime that tortured and raped her, while blindfolded. Paulina takes him captive to determine the truth. Paulina is torn between her psychological repressions and somber memory, Gerardo is torn between his wife and the law, and Dr. Miranda is forced to endure captivity while husband and wife seek out the uncertain truth about the clouded past. |
| Demons in the Garden | VSP 344 |
Manuel Gutierrez Aragon's Spanish (English subtitles) 100 mins. In post-Civil War Spain, a family achieves economic success in the black market while currying favor with the regime. The younger son goes off to Madrid to serve Franco, deserting a pregnant cousin who's treated as a servant by his ambitious mother. (He's also the lover of his brother's bride.) The child grows up spoiled and manipulative, as all three women vie for influence over him. |
| Don Juan, My Love | VSP 350 | Antonio Mercero . Spanish ( 96 Mins). 1990. According to Spanish legend, every All Souls Eve, the ghost of the legendary lover Don Juan Tenorio rises up from purgatory to walk the earth in hopes of doing the single good deed necessary for him to be freed from limbo. Unfortunately, though Don Juan has risen 450 times since his death, he has yet to succeed. This Spanish comedy begins on the last day of October 1990 and chronicles the great lover's latest try. |
| Don Quijote de la Mancha | VSP 341 |
(CERVANTES) Rafael Gil. Spanish. 2hours 15 mins. B&W. 1947. Alonso Quijano, enloquecido por la lectura de caballeria, abandona su aldea en busca de aventuras. Se hace armar caballero en una venta que el cree ser castillo. Tras el encuentro con unos mercaderes, regresa apaleado. Segunda salida en compañia de Sancho Panza, que le sirve de escudero. Aventura de los molinos de viento, del vizcaino y de los rebaños; manteamiento de Sancho; yelmo de Mambrino, y unos galeotes que pagan con pedradas su libertad. Sierra Morena, la venta y a su casa encerrado en una jaula tirada por bueyes. Tercera salida. El Bachiller Sanson Carrasco le anima a ello. Marcha al Toboso, donde Sancho inventa el encantamiento de Dulcinea. Parten amo y criado para Barcelona, donde Sanson Carrasco, bajo al aspecto de Caballero de la Blanca Luna, le desafia y le vence, obligandole a retornar a su aldea. Llega Don Quijote enfermo, Dios le devuelve la razón y tiene una cristiana muerte, renegando de la locura a que le llevaron los libros de caballeria. |
| Don Segundo Sombra | VSP 343 |
Ricardo Guiraldes. Spanish (English subtitles) 110 mins. Based on the novel of the same name, Don Segundo Sombra narrates the story of Fabio Caceres as he grows into adulthood. Don Segundo Sombra, an old 'gaucho', is his mentor and model: he teaches him moral and human values through his behavior, his stories and his example. Considered the foremost example of 'gaucho' literature in prose, Don Segundo Sombra is Ricardo Guiraldes (1926) major novel. |
| Erendira |
VSP 307 |
Ruy Guerra: Spanish (English subtitles) 103 mins. 1983. Based on a section of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', Erendira is an erotic black comedy laden with sexual fantasy, surreal pranks and political allegory. Erendira is a teenage girl exploited as a sexual slave by her greedy grandmother. |
| Even the Rain | DVSP 831 | Iciar Bollain: Spanish (English subtitles) 103 mins. 2010. Idealistic filmmaker (Gael Garcia Bernal, The Motorcycle Diaries) and his cynical producer Costa (Luis Tosar, The Limits of Control) arrive in Bolivia to make a revionist film about Christopher Columbus' conquest of the Americas. But as filming commences, the local citizens begin to riot in protest against a multi-national corporation that is taking control of their water supply. With the film shoot in jeopardy, both men find their convictions shaken. Inspired by the real-life Water Wars in Bolivia in the year 2000, Even the Rain explores the lasting effects of Spanish imperialism, still resonating some 500 years later in the continued struggle of indigenous people against oppression and exploitation. |
| The Exterminating Angel |
VSP 334 |
Luis Bunuel Spanish (English subtitles) 93 mins. 1962. The invited guests at an elegant dinner party find they are unable to leave at the end of the evening-a mysterious force compels them to stay....and stay....and stay. After several days the veneer of civility wears thin. Hunger and thirst set in and the distinguished 'guests' rip open walls to get at water pipes, build fires using the host's furniture and dine on sheep which have inexplicably wandered into their strange prison. |
| The Fable of the Beautiful Pigeon Fancier |
VSP 319 |
Ruy Guerra: Spanish (English subtitles) 73 mins. 1988. Based on a fragment from his novel 'Love in the Time of Cholera', The Fable of the Beautiful Pigeon Fancier was conceived and co-written by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Re-teaming Garcia Marquez with director Ruy Guerra (who began his career as an actor, starring in Werner Herzog's masterpiece 'Aguirre'), with whom he'd collaborated on the earlier Erendira, the fable tells the story of Orestes, a wealthy factory owner who falls madly in love with a married pigeon breeder. |
| The Flower of My Secret |
DVSP 823 | PEDRO ALMODOVAR. Spanish (English Subtitles) 103 mins. A rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar (Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about "The flower of My Secret" is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. |
| Frida | DVENG 807 A | Paul Leduc. English 108 Mins. Filmaker Paul Leduc has created a new form of artistic biography, a film that matches the famous description of Frida Kahlo and her art: "a bomb disguised as a butterfly." Fusing politics, painting and passion as daringly as Frida did in both art and life, Leduc mixes poetic invention with revealing fact to provide dramatic and cinematic insight into his subject beyond the capacity of criticism or documentary. |
| Frida | DVENG 807 B | Paul Leduc. English 108 Mins. Filmaker Paul Leduc has created a new form of artistic biography, a film that matches the famous description of Frida Kahlo and her art: "a bomb disguised as a butterfly." Fusing politics, painting and passion as daringly as Frida did in both art and life, Leduc mixes poetic invention with revealing fact to provide dramatic and cinematic insight into his subject beyond the capacity of criticism or documentary. |
| From Mambo to Hip-Hop: A South Bronx Tale | DVENG 805 | Henry Chalfant. English with Spanish subtitles. 56 minutes. There's a postage stamp of urban sidewalk known by people of a certain age for having burned to the ground. A more recent generation knows it as the place where hip hop was born. An older generation remembers the time that this turf nurtured the hot New York latin music sound that came to be known as salsa. From Mambo To Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale is an hour-long documentary that tells a story about the creative life of the South Bronx, beginning with the Puerto Rican migration and the adoption of Cuban rhythms to create the New York salsa sound; continuing with the fires that destroyed the neighborhood but not the creative spirit of its people; chronicling the rise of hip hop from the ashes; and ending with reflections on the power of the neighborhood's music to ensure the survival of several generations of its residents, and, in the process, take the world's pop culture by storm. |
| Fuenteovejuna (Part 1) | VSP 338 A |
Lope de Vega Spanish (Parts 1 & 2) 2hrs 22mins. 1993. The greatest Spanish work of the Siglo de Oro is here presented as a feature film that painstakingly and lovingly re-creates the medieval world of Lope's play. Spain's greatest actors are cast in this joyous production. An RTVE production. |
| Fuenteovejuna (Part 2) |
VSP 338 B |
Lope de Vega Spanish (Parts 1 & 2) 2hrs 22mins. 1993. The greatest Spanish work of the Siglo de Oro is here presented as a feature film that painstakingly and lovingly re-creates the medieval world of Lope's play. Spain's greatest actors are cast in this joyous production. An RTVE production. |
| Funny Dirty Little War | VSP 312 |
Hector Olivera: Spanish (English subtitles) 80 mins. 1983. An important film from Hector Olivera, the story is a parable of events in Peronist Argentina. The film is a comedy about rightist Peronists who plot to oust the leftist mayor of the town. But the mayor refuses to budge, and 'a funny dirty little war' ensues. Federico Luppi is brilliant as the mayor. |
| The Grandfather |
DVSP 803 |
Nickel Odeon. Spanish (English subtitles) 146 mins. 1998. Nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film, The Grandfather is a deeply compelling tale of love, honor and secrecy! When news of his son's death returns proud, old Count Albrit home to Spain after years abroad, he's pleased to meet his charming young granddaughters. But he also carries the burden of a newly discovered family secret: one of the girls is not his son's daughter... and therefore not his true heir! Starring original cast members from the Oscar -winning Spanish film sensation All About My Mother -you'll be inescapably drawn into this powerful story as the determined Count sets out to discover which granddaughter is worthy of his love and name! |
| The Grandfather |
VSP 353 | Jose Luis Garci. Spanish (English Subtitles) 146 Mins. 1998. Nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film, The Grandfather is a deeply compelling tale of love, honor and secrecy! When news of his son's death returns proud, old Count Albrit home to Spain after years abroad, he's pleased to meet his charming young granddaughters. But he also carries the burden of a newly discovered family secret: one of the girls is not his son's daughter... and therefore not his true heir! Starring original cast members from the Oscar -winning Spanish film sensation All About My Mother -you'll be inescapably drawn into this powerful story as the determined Count sets out to discover which granddaughter is worthy of his love and name! |
| The Green Wall |
VSP 316 |
Armando Robles Godoy: Spanish (English subtitles) 110 mins. 1970. A breakthrough film from South America, The Green Wall is based on Armando Robles Godoy's own experiences of homesteading in the Peruvian jungle. |
| The House of Bernarda Alba |
DVSP 815 | Mario Camus. Spanish (English Subtitles) 103 mins. Based on the play by renowned Spanish author Federico García Lorca, THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA is the story of a cold-blooded provincial widow and her five adult daughters. Bernarda (Irene Gutiérrez Caba) rules her wealthy household with an iron fist, forbidding her daughters to socialize with, let alone marry, the local people she considers their social inferiors. After the death of their father, Bernarda locks her daughters in the house for an eight-year mourning period, acquiescing only to the courtship of her eldest, Angustias (Enriqueta Carballeira), by Pepe el Romano, a mysterious nobleman who arrives on horseback each evening. Because Pepe is the only eligible bachelor in town, the younger sisters fall in love with him as well. Hardest hit is Adela (Ana Belén), the beauty of the family. Her illicit romance with Pepe has tragic consequences for the entire family. Beautifully shot and acted, the film conveys both the claustrophobia and beauty found in this sequestered household. |
| I, The Worst of All | VSP 324 |
Maria Luisa Bemberg: Spanish (English subtitles) 107 mins. Assumpta Serna stars as the brilliant and beautiful poet Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz in this magnificent portrayal of 17th Century Mexico. In order to pursue her love of writing, Juana enters the convent and gains international renown. When the Inquisition comes, the local Vicereine (Dominique Sanda) becomes Juana's protectress and erotic muse, and soon begins a thrilling romance of startling passion and intensity. |
| Il Postino (The Postman) |
DVIT 805 |
Michael Radford Italian (English subtitles) 108 mins. 1995. Cheered by critics and audiences everywhere, Il Postino-The Postman is the record-breaking Academy Award-winning romantic comedy that delivers heartfelt laughs! Mario is a bumbling mailman who's madly in love with the most beautiful woman in town...and who's too shy to tell her how he feels. But when a world-famous poet - Pablo Neruda - unexpectedly moves into town, Mario is inspired. With Neruda's help, he finds the right words to win the woman's heart. This unforgettably funny comedy proves that passion...with some artful deception... can win the most improbable love! |
| Johnny 100 Pesos | VSP 333 |
Gustavo Graef-Marino: Spanish (English Subtitles) 95 Mins. 1993. Based on a true story that enthralled an entire country. Johnny 100 Pesos is an explosive thriller that tells the story of a misguided teenager who commits his first armed robbery with four small-time criminals. Their surefire plan immediately goes wrong and escalates into a hostage situation. In true tabloid style, the standoff with the police turns into a media circus when the local press gets wind of the situation forcing the whole country to become involved and turning Johnny into a reluctant celebrity. |
| Julio Y Su Angel | VSP 337 |
Jorge Cervera. Spanish (English subtitles) 98 mins. 1996. Julio and his Angel is the tender story of an orphan child, looking for his guardian angel. Julio finds his Angel after living through some new, bitter and surprising experiences. It's a magical movie from Mexico, with its folklorist music from Veracruz. This movie has a positive message for the whole family. Julio y su Angel es la tierna historia de un niño huerfano que va en busca de su Angel de la Guarda y lo encuentra... Sienta con el pequeno Julio y los demas niños huerfanos el rigor de la vida en el orfanatorio y del bruto, Pablo, que los obliga a trabajar en la tortillería de la señora Zapata.... Escape con Julio donde al regresar a su pueblo se une a una pandilla de niños de la calle... Inspírese con su fe en Dios, quien le manda su Angel de la Guarda. Vea la magia de la noche tormentosa, cuando aparece su Angel en la forma de un viejo cascarrabias mexicano... Comience con ellos la encantadora aventura de sus de sus vidas... Explore la cueva escondida de Angel... Recorra las praderas y bosques del paraiso tropical donde Angel le enseña a Julio los valores de la vida, el trabajo, la familia y la amistad... Festeje con la gente del pueblo de Coatepec la Celebracion del Dia de los Muertos y saboree el delicioso Mole en la Fiesta tipica organizada por el padre Cristobal... Julio y su Angel tiene como fondo musical la música folklórica de Veracruz y y es una película mágica que le dejara un mensaje positivo que toda la familia disfrutara. |
| Kika |
VSP 328 |
Pedro Almodovar: Spanish (English subtitles) 109 mins.1994. Kika is a make-up artist who lives with her lover, Ramon, a photographer specializing in women's lingerie. Kika and Ramon have a maid, Juanita, who is madly in love with Kika. Kika has a best friend, Amparo, a hairdresser who betrays her every chance she gets. Kika has also an enemy, Andrea Scarface, host of a tabloid reality show that broadcasts in 'fierce exclusivity' images of the most hair-raising events. So far so good, but enter Nicholas (Peter Coyote), Ramon's step-father, who likes to seduce Kika from time to time, and Pablo, Juanita's brother, an ex-porno star who has just escaped from jail, and things start to get a little strange in the outrageously sexy world of Kika. |
| Letters from the Park |
VSP 314 |
Tomas Gutierrez Alea: Spanish (English subtitles) 85 mins. 1988. Echoing the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, this film unfolds as two shy young lovers enlist the help of a local poet to write passionate letters to each other. But soon the woman becomes the object of the poet's affection, and are all faced with a perplexing dilemma in this sweet and surprising romance. Letters from the Park vividly brings to the screen the popular story from Garcia Marquez' best selling novel, 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. |
| Like Water for Chocolate | VSP 331 |
Alfonso Arau: Spanish (English subtitles)105 min.1992. Based on the best-selling book now, experience for yourself the erotic tale of forbidden love that seduced both critics and audiences nation wide! Tita and Pedro are passionately in love. But their love is forbidden by ancient family tradition. To be near Tita, Pedro marries her sister. And Tita, as the family cook, expresses her passion for Pedro through preparing delectable dishes. Now, in Tita's kitchen, ordinary spices become a recipe for passion. Her creations bring on tears of longing, heated desire or chronic pain -while Tita and Pedro wait for the moment to fulfill their most hidden pleasures! |
| Like Water for Chocolate |
DVSP 811 |
Alfonso Arau. Spanish (English Subtitles) 105 mins. 1992. Based on the best-selling book- now, experience for yourself the erotic tale of forbidden love that seduced both critics and audiences nationwide! Tita and Pedro are passionately in love. But their love is forbidden by an ancient family tradition. To be near Tita, Pedro marries her sister. And Tita, as the family cook, expresses her passion for Pedro by preparing delectable dishes. Now, in Tita's kitchen, ordinary spices become a recipe for passion. Her creations bring on tears of longing, heated desire or chronic pain-while Tita and Pedro wait for the moment to fulfill their most hidden pleasures! |
| Live Flesh | DVSP 809 |
Pedro Almodovar Spanish (English & French Subtitles) 101mins. 1997. From critically acclaimed, erotically candid writer/director Pedro Almodovar (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) comes a raw, seductive tale "brimming with lust, betrayal and murder" (Rolling Stone). Based on a novel by British mystery writer Ruth Rendell, Live Flesh is "superbly acted, strikingly photographed and just plain terrific" (USA Today). When naïve lovestruck Victor (Liberto Rabal) attempts to seduce beautiful and wealthy but strung-out junky junkie Elena (Francesca Neri), all he gets for his trouble is a one-way, six-year ticket to prison, where he concentrates on strengthening his mind, his body…and his desire for vengeance on the man that put him there. After his release, Victor crosses paths with Elena, who is as beautiful as ever since she cleaned up her act. Still madly in love with her, victor will stop at nothing to win her over even if it means revenge-- for Elena has married David (Javier Bardem), the cop who sent him to prison! |
| Macu, The Policeman's Wife | VSP 346 |
Solveig Hoogesteijn Spanish (English subtitles) 90 mins. 1987. Based on a real-life, highly sensationalized murder case, this extremely well-made and compelling film tells the story of Ismael Ramírez, a middle-aged police captain, and his teenage bride, Macu. Much of the story is narrated by Macu in flashbacks. Ismael begins to fancy Macu when she is eight years old. Her mother approves of the relationship, knowing the privileges to be gained from having a member of the police force in the family. When Macu is eleven, the two are married and have two children. Years later, Macu falls in love with Simón, an adolescent her own age. The nineteen-year-old Macu attempts to piece together the fragments of her eight-year marriage. But the final blow comes when she discovers that her husband has killed her lover and "disappeared" two of his friends. The obsessive intensity with which the press, the police, and the neighbors blame Macu for the disappearances only serves to highlight the injustice inherent in a social system that assumes wives are the sexual property of their husbands. Donated by the Romance Language Department, Hunter College. |
| Maria Full of Grace | DVSP 812 | Joshua Marston. Spanish (English and French Subtitles) 101 mins. 2004. Winner of the Dramatic Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and two major awards at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival, Joshua Marston's MARIA FULL OF GRACE introduces us to a determined young woman whose desire for a brighter future leads her into a world of unimaginable danger. Maria Alvares (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a bright, spirited 17 year old, lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Columbia. Desperate to leave her job stripping torns from flowers in a rose plantation, Maria accepts a lucrative offer to transport packets of heroin-which she must swallow-to the United States. The ruthless world of international drug trafficking proves to be more than Maria bargained for as she becomes ultimately entangled with both drug cartels and immigration officials. The dramatic thriller builds toward a conclusion so powerful and revealing it could only be based on a thousand true stories. |
| Martin Fierro | VSP 345 |
Hernandez. Spanish. 60 mins. 1994. This, the Argentine epic, celebrates the free-spirited mestizo cowboy of the pampas, a man of few possessions beyond his pride and his guitar. This RTVE production provides a stunning rendition of the poem, which is both the narrative of one man and the story of a nation and a culture. Donated by the Dept. of Romance Languages -Oct. 2000. |
| Matador | DVSP 821 | PEDRO ALMODOVAR. Spanish (English Subtitles) 102 mins. The famous, retired bullfighter, Diego Montes owns and operates a school for bullfighters. Forced into retirement due to severe and permanent injuries sustained during his last bullfight, Diego now trains young men and women. One of Diego's students -- a young man named Angel-- is more than a little obsessed with his famous teacher. Angel is a bit strange. He lives at home with his unpleasant, domineering mother and spies on Diego's beautiful girlfriend --a model named Eva. Angel is played by a baby-faced Antonio Banderas. The police begin investigating several murder of young men, and several mysterious disappearances of young women, and attention is focused on the bullfighting school. Soon Angel is the prime suspect, and he's ready to confess to anything. A beautiful lawyer named Maria decides to defends Angel. Maria is another fan of Diego's, and she is a very dangerous woman. Carmen Maura stars as Angel's protective psychologist. This early Almódovar film includes elements of the supernatural throughout the plot. The supernatural explains the unspoken connections between characters. |
| Memories of Under Development | VSP 321 |
Tomas Gutierrez Alea: Spanish (Englishsubtitles) 97 mins. 1968. A breakthrough Cuban film, the first Cuban film to be released in the U.S. Set in the 1960's, the film centers on a Europeanized Cuban intellectual, too idealistic (or lazy) to leave Miami, but decadent to fit into the new Cuban society. The film is remarkable demonstration that artistic subtlety, political commitment, and superior entertainment need not to be incompatible. |
| The Milk of Sorrow |
DVSP 829 | Claudia Llosa. Spanish and Quechua ( English Subtitles) 94Mins. 2009. Fausta (Magaly Solier) suffers from " The Milk of Sorrow", an illness transmitted through mother's milk by women who've been raped during Peru's Civil Wars. Stricken with the fear that she's contracted the illness from her mother's breast milk-- Fausta goes to extreme lenghts to protect her own sexuality and safety. After her mother's sudden death, she finds herself compelled to embark on a frightening journey for re-awakening freedom and wholeness. |
| Miracle in Rome | VSP 305 |
Lisandro Duque Naranjo: Spanish (English subtitles) 76 mins.1988. Called 'a small miracle by itself' by The New York Times, it tells the story of Margarito Duarte, a man whose seven year old daughter dies suddenly. Upon visiting her grave twelve years later, Margarito finds his daughter's body just as he has left it. His fellow townspeople call it a miracle, but the town bishop wants the girl reburied. Based by an original story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who also co-wrote the screenplay. |
| The Motorcylces Diaries |
DVSP 816 | Walter Salles.Spanish (English subtitles) 127 mins. Based on a true life story, The Motorcycles Diaries is an inspiring and thrilling adventure that traces the youthful origins of a revolutionary spirit. The film follows two daring friends, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Alberto Granado, who hope on the back of a beat-up motorcycle for a breathtaking and exciting road trip across Latin America. |
| El Norte (The North) |
DVSP 827 A | Gregory Nava. Spa & Eng (Eng Subtitles) 140 minutes. Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life. It's a story that happens every day, but until Gregory Nava's groundbreaking El Norte, the personal travails of immigrants crossing the border to America had never been shown in the movies with such urgent humanism. |
| El Norte (The North) |
DVSP 827 B | Gregory Nava. Supplementary (English). |
| El Norte (The North) | VSP 348 | Gregory Nava. Spanish (English subtitles) 141 mins. 1984. Beginning in the remote mountain jungles of Guatemala, awash with the lushness of colors of the nature and the rainbow colors of the Mayans, this highly-acclaimed drama about a brother and sister seeking a better life centers on two young Indians. When their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother taken away, they set out for the "promised land" to the north-El Norte. It is a perilous journey fraught with dangers. Tijuana is a dismal shantytown inhabited by many people who are ready to cheat and kill for their meager possessions. To cross the U.S. border, they must brave a treacherous rat-infested sewage tunnel. And when they finally reach Los Angeles their trials are not over yet, for they are "illegals" sub-merged in an alien culture. A stunningly photographed, powerfully acted, moving story, EL NORTE is a deft blend of drama and dream imagery hailed as "an enormously special film, a work of great sophistication that.. has the truth, the magic of a piece of folk art." A master VHS donated by CUNY Council. Spring 2003. |
| Nueba Yol | DVSP 819 | This charming film about disappointment, triumph and the American dream broke all box office records in the Dominican Republic. When Balbuena (Luisito Marti) moves from Santo Domingo to New York ("Nueba Yol" in Dominican slang) hoping to make a fortune, he is in for a harsh disappointment, but finds the inner resources to succeed and find love in this land of crime, betrayal, and strict labor laws. Nueba Yol's well-placed plot and endearing characters provide a solid foundation for the deeper, more thought-provoking issues it raises. The film addresses not only immigration and crime but also the more universal themes of dreams, disappointment and triumph. |
| Nueba Yol | VSP 335 |
Luisito Marti Spanish (English subtitles) 120 mins. 1995. Nueba Yol documents a hapless immigrant's daily struggles in a strange country, devoid of the comforts of his native customs, language and culture. Es la divertida historia de Balbuena (Luisito Marti), un pobre diablo que dia a dia lucha por sobrevivir en una sociedad que no le ofrece muchas alternativas. Un dia escucho a su amigo Fellito (Raul Carbonell) decir 'llegar a Nueba Yol es como llegar a la gloria...' Fellito convencio a Balbuena de que hipotecara su casita y asi comprar la visa que haria realidad su maspreciado anhelo. LLEGAR A NUEVA YORK. Un inesperado amor toma a Balbuena, por asalto. El aeropuerto Kennedy sirvio de escenario a tan fortuito encuentro. Y como suele verse en las novelas de amor todo sucedio de forma accidental. Balbuena y Nancy (Caridad Ravelo) iniciaron una hermosa historia de amor que mas adelante se interrumpe. Nancy Martinez habia preparado su retirada definitiva a la Republica Dominicana. No paso mucho tiempo para que Balbuena comenzara a ver sus espectativas de una mejor vida derrumbarse ante sus narices. |
| The Official Story |
DVSP 800 |
Fox Lorber Spanish (English subtitles) 110 mins. 1985. The Official Story, details the collapse of an affluent Argentinian family. Alicia, the wife of a successful businessman, faces the ultimate challenge when she begins to suspect that her adopted daughter may have been stolen from a family of 'los desaparecidos'(the disappeared ones). Determined to find out the truth, Alicia risks everything-even at the cost of her own family. |
| The Official Story |
VSP 306 |
Luis Puenzo: Spanish (English subtitles) 112 mins. 1985. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1985, this powerful Argentinean feature is the true story of a comfortable middle-class couple and their adopted daughter. As the film progresses, the couple gradually begins to suspect that their daughter may be one of the many Argentinean children separated from their parents as they are detained and tortured and given away. The wife's journey of self-discovery reveals the horrors of themilitary dictatorship in Argentina. |
| Oriane | VSP 325 |
Fina Torres. Spanish (English subtitles) 88 mins. (1991). This important historical milestone in Latin American cinema is a gorgeous and lush romance/mystery which flows like a poem with a taut and touching story of remembrance of things past. Marie returns to her aunt Oriane's rundown house in the Venezuelan jungle where she spent summers as a child. The house brings back memories as she sorts through old cupboards and comes upon a special, jewelry box that's filled with pictures, love letters and mementos from her aunt's life. The film dissolves into a flashback about an emotionally turbulent summer that Marie spent at the house when her adolescent sexual curiosity led to a surprising encounter. Oriane earned the Camera d'Or at Cannes, the Grand Prize at the Cartagena Festival, Colombia, the Bronze Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival. |
| Pan's Labyrinth | DVSP 824 A | Guillermo Del Toro. Spanish [ English & Spanish Subtitles] 119 Mins. 2006. From Acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro ( Blade II, HellBoy) comes a dark fantasy/thriller about a young girl who enters a nysterious labyrinth and finds herself at the center of the ferocious battle between Good and Evil. |
| Pan's Labyrinth (Documentary) | DVSP 824 B | Guillermo Del Toro. Spanish ( English & Spanish Subtitles] 119 Mins. 2006 |
| La Plaza Del Diamante |
VSP 323 | Francesc Betriu: Spanish (English subtitles) 112 mins. 1981. A family's life is shattered by the tragic reality of a civil war. Two characters with opposite temperaments, brought together by a passionate love, learn to know and respect each other through years of facing the many problems of married life. She, docile and sensitive, becomes aware of the challenges of being a woman. He, domineering, yet childish, will need the cruel experience of a war to mature. A moving love story told through the hidden strengths of small domestic details from a nostalgic and powerful point of view. |
| Portrait of Teresa | VSP 318 |
Pastor Vega: Spanish (English subtitles) 103 mins. 1979. One of the key Cuban films shot in a fluid style, the film focuses on the stubborn survival of deeply ingrained traditions of machismo and sexism in post-revolutionary society. Teresa, a housewife, incurs the displeasure of her husband because of her involvement in political and cultural groups. Perhaps the most controversial film to be released in the U.S. |
| Romero | VENG 321 |
John Duigan: English 105 min. 1989. Raul Julia gives a compelling performance as the Archbishop of El Salvador, who was murdered for his ability to stir the masses into thoughts of political reform. Oscar Romero was a kind but apolitical churchman until his eyes were opened a he became a powerful voice of the people. With Richard Jorgan, Eddie Velez, Tony Plana, Harrold Hould and Ana Alicia. A riveting historical lesson from Paulist Pictures. |
| Secret in their Eyes | DVSP 830 | Juan Jose Campanella: Spanish/French (English, French Subtitles) 129 mins. Recently retired criminal court investigator Benjamin (Ricardo Darin) decides to write a novel based on a twenty-five-year-old unresolved rape and murder case which still haunts him. Sharing his plans with Irene ( Soledad Villamil), the beautiful judge and former colleague he has secretly been in love with for years, Benjamin's initial involvement with the case is shown through flashbacks, as he sets out to identify the murderer. But Benjamin's search for the truth will put him at the center of a judicial nightmare, as the mistery of the heinous crime continues to unfold in the present, testing the limits of a man seeking justice and personal fulfillment at last. |
| The Roots |
VSP 315 |
Benito Alazraki: Spanish (English subtitles) 85 mins. 1958. This compilation of four short stories by Francisco Gonzales produced by Manuel Barbachano (Torero!), won the international film critics awards at Cannes. Includes The Cows, Our Lady, The One-Eyed Boy and The Filly. Movie in Black and White. |
| The Sea Inside |
DVSP 818 | Alejandro Amenábar. Spanish (English Subtitles) 125 mins. Based on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world's attention, The Sea Inside is about Spaniard Ramón Sampedro (played by Oscar nominee Javier Bardem), who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The story also explores Ramón relationships with two women and his ability to inspire them through his gift of love. A truly joyous experience that celebrates the nature of freedom and love, and the mystery and beauty of life. |
| The Spirit of the Beehive |
DVSP 833 A | Victor Erice. Spanish (English Subtitles) 99 Mins. 1973. In a small Castilian village in 1940, in the wake of the country's devastating civil war, six-year-old Ana attends a traveling movie show of Frankenstein and becomes possessed by the memory of it. Produced as Franco's long regime was nearing its end, The Spirit of the Beehive is a bewitching portrait of a child's haunted inner life and one of the most visually arresting movies ever made. |
| The Spirit of the Beehive | DVSP 833 B | Victor Erice. Spanish (English Subtitles) 12 mins. |
| The Spirit of the Beehive |
VSP 308 |
Victor Erice: Spanish (English subtitles) 95 mins. 1973. A landmark Spanish film by Victor Erice, featuring the remarkable Ana Torrent in the story of two little girls growing up after the Spanish Civil War in the countryside. The hypnotic spellbinding nature of the film is a rare achievement by cinema as Erice evokes a deep poetry of childhood in a portrait of isolation. |
| Strawberry & Chocolate | DVSP 810 |
Tomas Gutierrez Alea Spanish (English Subtitles) 104 mins.1994. Robert Redford and Miramax Films proudly present Strawberry and Chocolate, the irresistible comedy treat that's received outstanding critical acclaim! Meet David-a naïve young college kid who's out on his own for the very first time. With the help of two extraordinary new friends, David soon learns everything there is to know about the things that aren't taught in school! Diego is the writer who teaches him about the passion of life and Nancy is the woman who teaches him about the passion of love! Nominated for the Academy Award as Best Foreign Language film in 1994, Strawberry and Chocolate is a deliciously fun-filled celebration of life at its entertaining best! |
| Talk to Her | DVSP 804 |
Pedro Almodovar Spanish (English, French subtitles) 114 mins. 2002. TALK TO HER is the surprising, altogether original and quietly moving story of the spoken and unspoken bonds that unite the lives and loves of two couples.Two men (Benigno and Marco) almost meet while watching a dance performance, but their lives are irrevocably entwined by fate. They meet later at a private clinic where Benigno is the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma. Marco is there to visit his girlfriend Lydia, a famous matador also rendered and motionless. As the men wage vigil over the women they love, the story unfolds in flashback and flashforward as the lives of the four are further entwined and their relationships move toward a surprising condusion. |
| Taxi Para Tres | DVSP 814 | Orlando Lübbert. Spanish (English Subtitles) 89 mins. This Chilean black comedy tell the tale of local taxi drivers Ulises, who unsuspectedly joins the group of thugs responsible for holding him up. With dreams of making fast money, he begins heading down the wrong path, driving to rich neighborhoods and becoming involved in a series of bungle burglaries. After being thwarted many times by a swift police force, Ulises and the thugs take refuge at his house where his daughter Javiera also lives. The situation becomes too much to handle when his new friends begin trespassing on him and his young offspring. Whatever he decides to do from this point on is guaranteed to pose more problems than expected. |
| Tierra | DVSP 832 | Julio Medem. Spanish (English Subtitles) 122 Mins.1996. An electric metaphysical melodrama played out across the desolate vineyards of an unnamed region of Spain. Called in to fumigate the land after the plague of woodlice imparts a distinctive, earthy taste to the wine, Angel (Carmelo Gomez) tries vainly to keep body and soul together even as he falls in love with demure, unhappily married Angela (Emma Suarez) and in lust with the highly sexed Mari (Silked): women reflective of his own split personality. Is he really insane or is he really connected to the cosmos? Allegorical, absurd, but riven with palpable anguish, 'Tierra' probes, teases, and provokes. |
| La Tigra |
VSP 309 | Camilia Luzuriaga: Spanish (English subtitles) 80 mins. 1990. Based on the novella by Jose de la Cuadra, this Ecuadorian feature looks at female identity through the eyes of Latin American machismo culture. The Tigress is the myth of woman: beautiful, sexual, powerful and revered. This film may be the best visual equivalent of literary 'magical realism' ever filmed and was awarded The Best Film Prize at the 1990 Cartagena Film Festival. |
| Tristana | VSP 330 |
Luis Bunuel: Spanish ( English subtitles) 98 min.1970. Beautifully photographed in Toledo Spain, the story is splendidly acted by Catherine Deneuve an Fernando Rey. Rey is Don Lope, a liberated but hypocritical aristocrat who seduces his beautiful young ward, Tristana (Deneuve). Given the opportunity she flees with her lover (Franco Nero, Camelot), but illness forces her to return and later, marry Don Lope. The result is a tense union in which Tristana slowly gains the upper hand. |
| A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings |
VSP 322 | Fernando Birri: Spanish (English subtitles) 90 mins. 1988. Magical realism and comic confusion blend in a startling film about visions and expectations. Amid the debris of a Columbian cyclone lands an old man with enormous wings, whose seemingly miraculous anatomy attracts the curious and devout from around the world. Silent and disheveled, this fantastic 'creature' is housed in a chicken coop as his host and the onlookers wait for the heavenly message- which turns out to be a very mixed blessing. Original story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez who also co-wrote the screenplay. |
| La Vida es Sueño | VSP 339 | Calderon de la Barca. Spanish. 74mins. B&W. 1994. The Spanish classic, performed in the classic Spanish style - beautifully spoken and clear to the ear. With Julio Nunez as Segismundo and a first-rate supporting cast. An RTVE production. |
| Volver | DVSP 822 | Pedro Almodóvar. Spanish (English Subtitles) 121 mins. Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole lost their parents in a tragic fire years ago… or did they? Superstitious villages claim that the girls' departed mother, Irene (Maura), has been seen wandering around their Aunt Paula's home. When Irene appears to Sole, she explains that she has returned to set right her daughters' trouble lives and reveal shocking secrets that will impact everyone! Raimunda has "female troubles" of her own, least of which is a corpse in the freezer! Winner of numerous film festival and critic's awards, VOLVER is a hilarious tale of love, loss and forgiveness. |
| What Have I Done to Deserve This | DVSP 825 | Pedro Almodovar. Spanish (English Subtitles) 97 minutes Gloria (Carmen Maura) is a cleaning woman and housewife who is addicted to amphetamines. She lives in a crowded apartment with her miserable taxi driving husband (who once forged Hitler's diaries), her two teen sons- one who is selling drugs, the other sleeps with older men, and her crazy mother-in-law who keeps a pet lizard. Driven by despair, Gloria sells off one of her sons, accidentally kills her husband and sets into motion a nightmarish chain of events in Pedro Almodovar's absurdist black comedy. |
| Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | DVSP 820 | PEDRO ALMODOVAR. Spanish (English Subtitles) 85 mins. Pepa is having a crisis. Her Lover is leaving her and now her doctor tells her she is pregnant. Her best friend may be wanted by the police for her association with a terrorists. And now her lover's psychotic wife is knocking at the door. Can she catch up with her lover, protect her friend, arrange a new romance for her lover's son, dodge the police, and disarm her lover's wife in time to foil an international terrorist plot? Well… maybe after she serves her guests some gazpacho. This is certainly comedy at its most sophisticated, splashed with social satire and spangled with a touch of symbolism for those inclined to seek it. |
| Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown |
VSP 310 |
Pedro Almodovar: Spanish (English subtitles) 98 mins. 1988. The latest wacky comedy from Pedro Almodovar once again stars Carmen Maura, his perennial leading lady. She plays a popular Spanish actress driven to distraction when her lover leaves her for another woman. She knows she can talk him out of leaving only if she can talk directly to him and not deal with the answering machine. A comedy of errors ensues that involve a drugged pitcher of gazpacho, Shiite terrorists and a mental patient who left the asylum too soon. |
| The Young and the Damned (Los Olvidados) | VSP 320 | Luis Bunuel: Spanish (English subtitles) 81 mins. 1950. A milestone of filmmaking: Bunuel's great film looks at the lives of young people growing up in the slums of Mexico, and particularly at the desperately inevitable process by which an older, more corrupt gang leader, Jacob hounds and destroys the younger, more innocent Pedro, before being destroyed himself. |
| Y Tu Mama Tambien | DVSP 806 | Alfonso Cuarón. Spanish (English subtitles) 105 mins. 2001. Julio and Tenoch are two teens ruled by raging hormones and a mission to consume exotic substances. But one summer, the boys learn more about life than they bargain for when they set off on wild cross-country trip with seductive, 28-year-old Luisa. Both boys taste forbidden fruit as Luisa schools them in the finer points of passion, but will their mutual desire for her destroy their friendship forever? |
| Y Tu Mama Tambien | VPS 351 | Alfonso Cuaron. Spanish (English Subtitles) 105 minutes Julio and Tenoch are two teens ruled by raging hormones and a mission to consume exotic substances. But one summer, the boys learn more about life than they bargain for when they set off on wild cross-country trip with seductive, 28-year-old Luisa. Both boys taste forbidden fruit as Luisa schools them in the finer points of passion, but will their mutual desire for her destroy their friendship forever? |