A review: "Cambio de Sexo" [1977 Spain]

One of Vicente Aranda's lesser known (and until recently, quite rare) films, "Cambio de sexo" [Eng. Title: Forbidden Love] was also the beginning of a collaboration with his life-long muse Victoria Abril. The film, about a hitherto taboo topic concerning gender identity and sex-change, remains a landmark in Spanish mainstream cinema despite any of its technical shortcomings.








Seventeen year old José María (Victoria Abril) is a gawky effeminate lad who's bullied and harassed at school for his looks and inability to fit-in, to the extent that the school even suggests moving him to a different school. Furious at the suggestion and determined to man up his son, José María's father (Fernando Sancho) sends him away, boot-camp style, to his uncle in the countryside to get used to some hard manual labour. What the father fails, or refuses to understand is that José María actually sees himself as a girl trapped in a boy's body.

Consequently, the father takes José María to a cabaret-brothel to initiate him in  heterosexual sex with the help of Fanny (Rosa Morata), the lead performer and also one of the father's lovers. Things obviously don't go as predicted for the father and before long, José María had left home unannounced to begin life anew as María José in glitzy downtown Barcelona.

Working as a hairdresser, María José meets and gets acquainted with Bibi Andersen (Bibi Andersen), a star transsexual performer at the cabaret she visited with her father earlier. Bibi introduces María José to the cabaret owner and also becomes her mentor by giving her some much needed worldly advice and encouraging her to train as a cabaret dancer.

As María José's showbiz career blossoms and adulthood beckons, she goes through the familiar exhilarating, and at times painful journey through rejection, defiance, and camaraderie, and in the process discovers love. The film ends with María José successfully transitioning into a woman after gender reassignment surgery.

Even though the teenage Abril was already a well known name in Spain through TV when the film came out, she had yet to find her feet in cinema, and this film would mark the beginning of Victoria Abril's stellar career. It goes without saying that apart from her exemplary performance, Victoria Abril is at her adorable best. I couldn't resist sharing this rather subversive scene from a sequence that's disturbingly reminiscent of a oh-so-innocent Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz. "Mi cosita" is anything but, and is surprisingly also well choreographed.

A unique product of Spain's destape, the film succinctly captures the spirit of openness, liberty, and optimism following the end of Spain's fascist era. While the amazing Bibi Andersen - a transgender in real life, had been a regular in Almodóvar's twisted classics, she often played the female even when there were transgender characters in the same film; those roles were typically played by women. This is one of the rare films where Bibi Andersen actually plays herself. For followers of Spanish cinema and its evolution, this film is essentially Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon Blu-ray Link [Region 2]

 

The Nudity: Rosa Morata, Maria Elias, Victoria Abril, Bibi Andersen, and others
As one would expect, the film features several scenes of nudity. Rosa Morata and others appear nude on stage during a cabaret. Maria Elias who plays María José's sister is seen briefly nude while changing. Victoria Abril is nude often, including a couple a scenes on stage, and Bibi Andersen performs a memorable striptease.

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Highbrow destape: "La muchacha de las bragas de oro" [1980 Spain]

If Vicente Aranda's groundbreaking exploration of sexual identity in "Cambio de sexo" made destape (a Spanish 'Glasnost' of sorts during and after Dictator Franco's final years, when censorship was relaxed) purposeful, his next feature, "La muchacha de las bragas de oro" [Eng. Title: Girl with the Golden Panties] with a nuanced articulation of the need for women's individual freedoms, made destape almost respectable. Films associated with this period were normally seen as little more than skin-flicks keener in disrobing rather than understanding women, not that either of these were entirely a bad thing, of course. It will, ironically, also propel the star of both the films, Victoria Abril, into becoming a household name and international sex symbol for well over a decade.

The film is set in Barcelona, where Luis (Lautaro Murúa), a retired member of the previous Franco regime, is writing his memoirs in the splendid isolation of his spacious villa, with a dog and housekeeper as his only company. He isn't overly perturbed when his niece Mariana (Victoria Abril) arrives with her photographer friend Elmir (Perla Vonasek) - Mariana after all, is here only to write an article about his forthcoming autobiography for a magazine she works in, and also to help out in typing his manuscript.

But it does turn Luis's life inside out, because with her visit, his real past - not the one he'd been concocting in his memoirs, returns to haunt him and his conscience. Mariana, who wears no undergarments save the body-painted gold panties that Elmir meticulously paints on her person, is a wild and carefree young woman, openly indulging in drugs and taking lovers from both sexes as she pleases. Before long, Luis also discovers that Elmir is actually a woman, and that she and Mariana are lovers. For a former Falangist, he displays remarkable restraint even when Elmir brazenly gropes Mariana in his presence.

Years ago, Luis used to love and date Mariana's mother, Mari (Raquel Evans), before a mix-up in a darkened room forced him to marry Mari's sister Soledad (Isabel Mestres) instead. Mari also went on to marry his best friend José María (Josep M. Lana), but not before a one-night stand with Luis. After pealing away the layers of lies he had hidden behind, Mariana finds the vulnerable Luis desirable, and even succeeds in seducing him. But a secret about Mariana's real father will come out in the open when an older Mari (Hilda Vera) visits Luis to check up on her daughter. But will the truth really matter to Luis or Mariana any longer..?

The story, based on an award winning novel by fellow Catalan author Juan Marsé, touches upon hitherto taboo topics such as lesbianism and incest, and questions the validity of a conventional family unit in the modern age. They were shocking subjects for their time, and Aranda always excelled in shocking his audience (sometimes I wonder if this is also a Catalan quirk). In the technical department, there is a marked departure for the better from his earlier films despite the tight budget, and the soundtrack is also appealing. The film can be considered a milestone for Vicente Aranda, emerging from a genre-film maker into a mainstream dramatist, and for Victoria Abril, from a talented actress with tomboyish looks to a sex symbol of the eighties; at twenty years old, Ms. Abril was in the prime of her youth in this film. At least for these reasons, the film should be of interest for both the fans and those interested in Spanish culture, even more so after it has been released on Blu-ray.

Amazon Blu-ray Link

 

The Nudity: Victoria Abril, Perla Vonasek, and Raquel Evans
Victoria Abril's Mariana comes out as a hedonistic, naturist and exhibitionist, and perhaps appears nude onscreen for longer than in any other film in her illustrious filmography - obviously all good reasons to cheer about. Perla Vonasek plays the bisexual and frequently whistle-blowing Elmir/Elmira. South American beauty and destape-queen Raquel Evans appears only briefly nude on a couple of occasions in Mariana's fertile imagination when Luis opens up about his past.



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Victoria Abril & Maribel Verdú in "Amantes" [1991 Spain]

Having been fortunate to have gone through most of Vicente Aranda's filmography, I can safely opine that this veteran director loves women and has great respect for their role in Spanish society. The ubiquitously named 1991 drama "Amantes" [Eng. Title: Lovers] is a typical example. I think it is one of his more deeper films which will be totally lost on anyone watching it casually. As I did when it was aired on TV many years ago. It is a film for mature adults, which I wasn't. But some of the images are strong and unforgettable whether you understand the film or not.

Storyline:
Based on a true story, the film depicts a torrid love triangle that ended in murder during mid-fifties Spain. Paco is discharged from Army and moves in as a tenant of widow Luisa. He is lazy, ignorant, weak, and opportunistic - in sharp contrast to his apparent good looks which women are drawn to. He is engaged to pure-at-heart, virginal, and sincere Trini, who works hard as a housemaid to earn a living and save for a rainy day. His frustrations with her refusal for physical intimacy before marriage draws him to the older, experienced and still attractive Luisa, who's been around the block a few times. Trini, aware of his relationship with his landlady, tries to win him back. But Luisa's sexual prowess and seductive appeal completely clouds Paco's sense of vision and reason, and his inability to distinguish the good things going for him is graphically illustrated for all to see.

Paco, Luisa, and Trini - extreme caricatures in themselves, are drawn with the purpose of showing the contrasting ways in which characters can pursue a common interest - which is essentially about trying to live happily ever after. The characterisation is equivalent to having a strong cup of coffee in order to stay awake - to understand if not appreciate why people behave the way they do. What makes this film special is the convincing portrayal of the characters by the main actors. Both, Victoria Abril who plays Luisa, and Maribel Verdú who plays Trini give exceptional award-winning performances, and this is also the only film to date that won Vicente Aranda a Goya. It obviously isn't everyone's cup of tea, but for the open-minded, definitely refreshing, and Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.es DVD Link




Compilation: Victoria Abril and Maribel Verdú
There's only brief female nudity in the film - it focuses primarily on what the women see and like in Paco (played by a young and handsome Jorge Sanz), and obviously it is not his wit, charm, or charisma. The scenes are nevertheless erotic, and relevant to the blog. This is from an old letterboxed edition DVD that I've had for a while.



Scene Guide:

• Luisa explores Paco like a new land she'd just conquered. Luisa is played by sirena española Victoria Abril.
• Luisa imparts her worldly knowledge on willing pupil Paco - apparently there 'is' something called the male 'g-spot'. This scene will certainly stay with you for a while, whether you like it or not! ;)
• Treni visits Paco after making sure his landlady had left. Determined to win him back, she sets aside morals and offers herself readily in an unceremonious fashion. Aranda questions the inherent value of virginity itself in this scene. Treni is well played by a young, beautiful, and sexy Maribel Verdú.

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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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