Marta Fernández Muro & Cecilia Roth in "Laberinto de Pasiones" [1982 Spain]

For those who may not know, early films by Pedro Almodóvar were pretty much underground affairs - he was part of Spain's counter-culture, and also fronted a music band. The 1982 drama, "Laberinto de Pasiones" [Eng. Title: Labyrinth of Passion] may have been his second full-length 'mainstream' film, but it still retained the borderline irreverence of his early period - he was after all, an 'outsider' indulgently lapping up the sweeping changes that his country was witnessing at the time. There is a reason why many (like me) prefer this phase of his early works. His later works may no doubt be far more accomplished, but the rawness and freedom of his earlier works are like a breath of fresh air, filled with conviction that nothing 'awful' could ever happen to the youth of Spain because they now have the right to express themselves as never before.

Storyline:
The film is essentially a series of interconnected sketches involving a gay exiled prince, his family, a gay terrorist looking to kidnap him, a laundryman and his daughter, and her fascination with a nymphomaniacal pop-singer, who's the daughter of an eminent gynaecologist. I won't explain the plot, but rest assured this is one of the most hilarious, outrageously twisted, and totally irreverent films that you'd get to see. Some of the gags are too shocking to even be taken seriously. And Almodóvar also makes an appearance as his punk-rocker self, complete with micro-skirt and facial make-up, performing at a gig with his other group members..! :)

The film showcases the genius of Almodóvar in every way, and is a must-see for anyone interested in his films. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link

 

The Nudity:
There are scenes of nudity from male actors such as a young Antonio Banderas, and Imanol Arias, and also from actresses Marta Fernández Muro, who plays laundryman's daughter Queti, and Cecilia Roth who plays nymphomaniac Sexilia.



Scene Guide:

• Outrageous scene - in denial after his wife leaves him, a laundryman mistakes daughter Queti for his wife and has his way with her every other day after taking some sex-enhancement drugs. To discourage and sedate him, Queti had been giving him another drug which unfortunately causes a side effect of increasing his paranoia. I'm hesitant to use the word 'rape' for a reason - Almodóvar will play similar mind games with us in his later films too such as Kika, Átame!, and La Piel que Habito. Queti in this scene is played by Marta Fernández Muro. If you look beyond the shock factor, the scene is actually quite silly, sexy, and funny.
• Nymphomaniac singer Sexilia - played tongue-in-cheek by Cecilia Roth, feels bored in the middle of an orgy, and asks to be excused on the occasion - she'd been thinking of a guy she met at the club. That guy is prince Riza of 'Tiran', hitherto gay, but he too couldn't perform with his boyfriend that night - now that's 'love'..! :)
• There's only brief nudity here but it is a 'poetic' comparison to the first scene. Queti is an ardent fan of Sexilia, and undergoes a cosmetic procedure to look exactly like her idol - she'd agreed to pursue Sexilia's modelling career on her behalf so that the original could elope with the prince to a caribbean destination. But the altered Queti had now fallen for Sexilia's workaholic father, and even encourages him and her psychiatrist-friend Susanna into believing that she's enthusiastically embracing an incestuous relationship..!

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Gael García Bernal & Fele Martínez in Almodóvar's "La Mala Educación" [2004 Spain]

While it is women who tend to be the primary character in Pedro Almodóvar films - his 2004 drama "La Mala Educación" [Eng. Title: Bad Education] is a notable exception. Hardly any woman feature in this film, and even the one who does - a wardrobe assistant played by Leonor Watling - has barely any lines.

Storyline:
It would be quite difficult to write any meaningful storyline for the film without giving away this intricate plot - so I shall not bother. All I'd say is that it is about two childhood friends-turned lovers whom we'll follow at various intervals from the 1960's onwards, and it is an observation of how their 'education' unwittingly mark their very different lives, as it also does the brother of one of them.

While the film and to an extent the setting resemble and resonate politically to Louis Malle's "Au Revoir les Enfants", this one is altogether dark and unforgiving - a neo-noir that'll jolt you with unexpected twists and turns after giving you the false impression of a straightforward plot. In fact, false-impressions and false-hope make up a good part of this film within a film. Even if subdued in terms of its flamboyance, there are numerous touches that are unmistakably 'Almodóvar' - in the characterisation, screenplay and its glorious irreverence. The film negotiates with ease difficult topics such as paedophilia, rape, and misuse of religious power and trust, and tells us an immensely passionate tale of love, hope, and betrayal - the only difference is that the characters here are gay. And boy what a difference that is, especially if you have Gael García Bernal and Fele Martínez thrown into the main character roles. Until this film, I have to admit that my opinion of Bernal as an actor wasn't too high - I felt he was just another pretty Latin American boy. But he emphatically proves me wrong here - whether it is thanks to Almodóvar I won't know, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Bernal will forever be grateful for having this film included in his CV. And Felix Martínez who plays the other main character also gives a fine albeit subdued performance. Even though they don't quite strike up a chemistry as lovers, it's nevertheless how it should be in the overall scheme of things. As with any successful Almodóvar, the cinematography is vibrant and the soundtrack exquisite. I'd rate it equally alongside his later films such as "Todo sobre mi madre" and "Volver". Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon Box-set Collection
This great value-for-money 4-DVD box set comes with three other recent Pedro Almodóvar films - Volver, Todo sobre mi madre, and Hable con Ella.

 

Compilation: Gael García Bernal, Alberto Ferreiro, and Fele Martínez
This one doesn't require a description and can be viewed for its own sake. It also saves me the bother of going into unnecessary detail. The first scene is of Gael García Bernal as Zahara with biker boy Alberto Ferreiro. Followed by Gael García Bernal as Ángel, and Fele Martínez as Enrique, by the swimming pool.



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Victoria Abril in Pedro Almodóvar's "Átame!" [1990 Spain]

It's about time this little gem went into the blog - Pedro Almodóvar made this much misunderstood black comedy "Átame!" [Eng. Title: Tie me Up! Tie me Down!] as a scathing attack on the concept of marriage and conventional love. While outwardly it may appear as a 'romantic' albeit twisted comedy, the irony will not be lost for those looking at it from the protagonists' perspective.

Storyline:
Delinquent Ricky is released from asylum after the authorities decide it is now okay for him to re-enter society. And Ricky heads straight to the film studios where Marina Osorio is shooting a 'mainstream' film with a veteran director. He had been obsessing over her for the past year, since a one-night stand with her at a club - he had escaped from the asylum at the time for a night's fun. He wants Marina to love him as much as he, get married, and start a family - to live a "normal" life as he puts it.

When Marina spurns his overtures - she wouldn't even give him a second look - he breaks into her apartment and kidnaps her. His thinking - if she gets to spend time with him, she will get to know him better, and certainly fall in love. Bad boy Ricky - but we soon realise he is not the only one with issues. Former porn actress Marina is also desperately trying to kick her drug habit - she'd just got a lucky break to work on a non-porn film because the wheelchair-bound director (wonder if Almodóvar was thinking of Antonioni when he wrote the screenplay!) is also her fan - damaged people both, the victim and the perpetrator. He gags and ties Marina up every time he needs to leave the apartment - mostly to buy drugs for her 'toothache'. Ricky doesn't take sexual advantage of her situation, but Marina nevertheless despises him and tries to escape on a few occasions, unsuccessfully. But one day when he returns bleeding after being robbed and beaten, she pities his misfortune, for it was on her account that he went out looking for drugs. And she falls in love..!

One can easily look at Marina's change of heart as a symptom of her discovering that someone does indeed care about her in a true sense, or even as a case of Stockholm Syndrome. But Almodóvar goes beyond that and asks us to question the rationale of being 'tied-down', to conform, to loose oneself in another person's life. The message is actually made clear by the film's provocative ending, which I will not reveal just in case you're thinking of watching the film.

The film was slated by many critics when it came out, but I'm sure many were made to eat their words upon second viewing. The screenplay, direction, cinematography, editing, and the performances by the main actors are superb, as is the awesome sound track by the legendary Ennio Morricone. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Much as I'd like to include a DVD link for Átame!, I cannot recommend the ones on sale at the moment - they are either letter-boxed PAL versions with hard-coded English subtitles (avoid them as I purchased without knowing), or the ridiculously expensive NTSC versions. I was lucky to get one from Mexico (from which this compilation was made) but it's not available now.

Off-topic note:
Let me digress a bit here with the fact that after this film, Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas finally got back working together in Almodóvar's latest and much anticipated film, "La Piel que Habito" [Eng. Title: The Skin I Live in]. I watched it at the cinema last week (it was a toss-up between this and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - and I don't regret my decision one bit) - I can assure you that here we see Almodóvar at his original twisted best that made his films so unique. If this film is running anywhere close to you - DO NOT miss it! It also has plenty of nudity, which I will of course review when it comes out on DVD.




Compilation: Victoria Abril and Loles León
Only made using the 'best' bits... :-)



Scene Guide:

• Short snippets from three connected scenes where Marina turns up at the film set without panties. She removed them apparently because they are showing through her dress - her sister nearby remarks that she'd much rather her panties show through than her 'chocho'..! Some brief but priceless, sexy and funny pantyless upskirts ensue during and after the film-shoot when the director also gets to have a look-in. She admonishes him for staring at her 'like that'. Marina of course, is played by the legendary sultry siren - Victoria Abril.
• This is one of the all-time classics - it would be humiliating to hear a blog visitor admit not seeing this in some form before. This is of Marina playing with her toy frogman in the bath - obviously the guy who designed it noticed a niche in the competitive bath accessory market..!
• No nudity - Ricky takes Marina captive in her own flat, and Marina isn't pleased. Looking at his lust-filled eyes, she asks him to fuck her and get over with it, but he tells her, "take it easy - all in good time". Ricky of course is played by another famous Spanish export - a youthful Antonio Banderas - one can easily see why women have had frequent wet dreams over him (apparently!).
• Poor Marina is still without knickers after the film-shoot and is now asked to change so they can go to the pharmacy. Ricki likes what he sees - and so do we.
• This is possibly a directorial goof - Marina's suddenly sprung panties when they return home. She asks him to look away while changing.
• The film director watching one of Marina's porn tapes. His insufferably sympathetic wife drops in to ask if he needs anything - he tells her he's fine.
• No nudity but some sexy upskirts in these scenes, first when Marina tries to snatch from a sleeping Ricky the keys to her handcuffs, and later when she's carried to the neighbour's flat (who'd gone away on holiday) so that no one would bother them. There's also a toilet visit in between - when a disgusted Marina promises Ricky that she could never fall in love with him.
• Marina is gradually getting accustomed to Ricky, and this time when she changes, she actually asks him to help her with the dress.
• Ricky returns all bruised - he'd just been beaten up and robbed by some junkies. Marina pities him, and they make love. It is an erotic scene where Ms. Abril and Mr. Banderas really seem to be going for it, even if there's nothing explicit shown. Apparently the scene took several takes lasting a whole day - imagine that..!
• A very brief flash - but a flash nevertheless, of Marina's sister Lola using the bathroom. Lola is played by sexy and funny Loles León, who also steals the show in some of the film's scenes.

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Francesca Neri in Almodovar's "Carne Trémula" [1997 Spain]

Pedro Almodovar has crafted some of the most exquisite films made in Spain, and among his later works, the 1997 drama "Carne Trémula" [Eng. Title: Live Flesh] is my personal favourite.

The film uses abundant symbolism to propel its story, and therefore can be approached from many different angles a la Buñuel - you can either treat it at face-value or dig deep and look at the intricate nuances - which is a personal view of Almodovar's Madrid, and the world as he sees it. As the title hints, there is constant referral to the womb - as the gateway to life, and the object of pleasure - something every character is talking about or playing with. An example - there's a moment when a brothel keeper (brilliantly performed by Pilar Bardem) calms her heavily pregnant prostitute (Penélope Cruz) on the way to hospital during a night when General Franco had just declared a state of emergency. "If fools like us don't decide to give birth once in a while, the world would be an empty place, or just full of old people..." The film is replete with such pithy observations relating to the pre-eminence of the womb around (and because of) which everything else happens. To me this film is so 'complete' that there is nothing more left to say. And the convincing manner in which Almodovar connects each of the characters is simply mind-boggling. Add to these the powerful performances by actors, the thoughtful editing and the fantastic soundtrack - the reason for my choice is self-evident. If you haven't already seen it, you really should. Highly Recommended Viewing!

Storyline in brief - After serving time for a freak incident at an Italian diplomat's house involving the daughter Elena, Victor decides to start afresh by forgetting the past. Just then he sees Elena at the cemetery - both were there for different reasons, and their lives cross path once again. But it doesn't affect only them, but those around them as well...




Compilation: Francesca Neri
Elena believes Victor is following wherever she goes, to extract some sort of revenge for his incarceration. He has now volunteered to work as an assistant at the same orphanage she's a patron of. Elena is played by the fine Italian actress Francesca Neri. In this scene, she surprises Victor by offering herself, in the understanding that after the night of passion, he will agree never to see her again. The scene is simple, but is beautifully done with a haunting Andalusian melody that makes it all the more powerful. Later, she's in bed the following morning when her husband (Javier Bardem) returns from a tournament. He starts to eat her pussy (as he normally does), but she requests him to stop because it hurt. When questioned, she says plainly, "Because I've been fucking all night"!





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Assumpta Serna & Eva Cobo in "Matador" [1986 Spain]

By 1986, when he made "Matador", Pedro Almodovar may have gone mainstream, but he still retained his twisted sense of humour and total irreverence for audience reactions that made his films so much fun to watch. It's from "Todo Sobre mi Madre" onwards that we see a different and more sombre Almodovar, even if the films he made from then on are just as accomplished, but in a different way.

"Matador" is a twisted film in many ways. None of the characters have traits that can be considered likeable, and yet you are coaxed into accepting their flaws. You forgive their follies, whether it is the retired matador who gets his kicks by watching someone getting killed - he even asks his girlfriend to wear pale make up and play dead while making love, or a lawyer who's got into the habit of killing her lover at the time of orgasm. Or the mother of a rape victim who's more concerned about her daughter missing her audition rather than reporting to the police. It is all out of synch with reality and totally absurd, but enthralling nevertheless.

It's a shame the Scandinavian DVD from which these compilations were made was about the best quality ever released. I hope it gets digitally remastered and released again for the next generation of film lovers.

Compilation 1: Assumpta Serna
Among the most respected professionals in the Spanish film industry, Assumpta plays Maria, a lawyer defending a self-confessed serial killer, despite being one herself. In the first part of the scene, she's with a lover she'd just picked up, but the second half is the more interesting when she finally gets to make love to her idol - the Matador - one can see Ms. Serna is going with the flow and thoroughly enjoying the moment as her co-star serenades her nipples with his tongue. And it is great to see a gay director appreciating feminine sensuality..!








Compilation 2: Eva Cobo
Eva Cobo was barely 19 when she did this film. She plays the girlfriend who's madly in love with the Matador - even forgiving his psychopathic nature. In the first part of the compilation she's being spied on by her neighbour (played by a young Antonio Banderas), who later attempts to rape her in an alley way. Later she's with the Matador who asks her to play dead while he makes love to her.








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Leonor Watling & Paz Vega in "Hable con Ella" [2002 Spain]

I finally managed to get an Almodovar up here. I had reviewed his 2002 classic "Hable con Ella" [Eng. Title: Talk to Her] years ago, but these scenes are freshly edited and recut from DVD.

For people outside Spanish speaking territories, Pedro Almodóvar would have probably been their first introduction to Spanish language cinema. His early underground films were not only groundbreaking in their subject matter, they were cleverly written and refreshingly executed. He is still the most famous name in Spanish cinema, and rightly so.

While some of his recent films have become less edgy, "Hable con Ella" still retains the raw humanity emanating from his earlier works, and as ever, his women are inherently strong characters. In "Hable con Ella", we see Alicia lying in a state of coma for the best part of the film, but still manages to command our respect, she makes us feel ashamed for looking at her nudity, and Almodóvar skillfully creates this special connection between Alicia and the audience. Similarly we have another strong character in Lydia the matador, who also goes into coma after being gored by a bull in the arena. The story and screenplay is excellently constructed, no wonder it won so many major awards including Oscar, BAFTA, Goya and César. If you haven't yet seen this film, you should. This gem can't be recommended enough!

Compilation 1:
I have combined all the scenes involving Alicia, played by the beautiful and wholesome Leonor Watling. Watching her at the ballet school opposite his flat, male nurse Benigno falls headlong in love, even if he is only too aware he's aiming far too high. He visits her home with an excuse of a session with her Psychologist-father. But after an accident, when Alicia goes into coma in the hospital where he works, Benigno begins a ficticious relationship with her, after her father appoints him exclusively to take care of Alicia. There is only one brief nude scene where she is conscious at all - when she comes out of the shower only to see Benigno had been snooping around her room.







Compilation 2:
The bulk of this compilation belongs to the lovely Paz Vega, who plays Amparo in an amusing silent film within the film. Some of you may remember seeing this unforgettable scene, perhaps in bits and pieces. I left the entire film intact because it is worth watching for its own sake. Alicia used to enjoy watching silent films - so Benigno narrates to her the film that he had recently seen. Earlier in the compilation, we see Lydia, played by Rosario Flores ceremoniously getting dressed for the bull fight. We also see a scene of a very scared and very nude Ángela. played by Elena Anaya, running away after seeing a snake in her tent.





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