Spain,
1995, 100 min
Shown in 1996
CREDITS
- dir
-
Carlos Saura
- prod
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Juan Lebrón
- scr
-
Carlos Saura
- cam
-
Vittorio Storaro
- editor
-
Pablo del Amo
- cast
-
Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlucar, Lole y Manuel, Juaquín Cortés
- source
-
SOGEPAQ
-
COMMENTS
Shown in the Spirit of the Dance sidebar.
OTHER
It’s been hailed as the ultimate flamenco film, “a breathtaking compendium” of the styles and traditions of this Andalusian Gypsy dance form, evoking all the immediacy of a live performance. Carlos Saura’s film follows in the footsteps of his Sevillanas and his celebrated trilogy Blood Wedding, Carmen and El Amor Brujo. Set in an abandoned train station and graced with the sensual yet abstract cinematography of Vittorio Storaro (known for his work on such films as Apocalypse Now and The Last Emperor) and rich guitar rhythms bolstered through Dolby SRD digital sound, Flamenco moves from dusk to night, dawn to daylight, using the day’s shadow and color to reflect the tone of each dance. This riveting, luminous documentary reveals dizzying tableaux of swirling styles, all fueling a spirit that film critic Stephen Holden has described as “an erotic fire whose flame is barely contained.” Saura regulars—Seville’s best actors, dancers and musicians—come together to recreate the passion of this timeless way of life: Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlucar, Lole y Manuel and Joaquín Cortés alternate with Agujetas, El Torta and Fernando de la Morena, mixing the classical with the futuristic. Some of the dance numbers are balletic, some rough-hewn. Others range from precise to impulsive, popular to experimental. The result is pounding, pulsating magic.
FACTOID #12
In our occasional film series, The Unvanquished, we showcased the work of filmmakers who continued to make their art despite suffering artistic repression. Those honored include directors Paul Carpita (1996), Paul Meyer (1996), Abraham Polonsky (1996) and John Berry (1998) and actors Karen Morley (1999) and Behrouz Vossoughi (2001).
