Spain tries a new version of García Lorca's Blood Wedding via Paula Ortiz's THE BRIDE

One of Spain's national treasures, poet/playwright Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) is thought to have been assassinated by Spanish fascists, though as of now, I believe, his remains have not been recovered nor identified. One of the hallmarks of Lorca's best-known plays -- The House of Bernarda Alba and Blood Wedding -- is buried passion, and as the man was a closeted homosexual (what sentient being would not have been in the Spain of that day?), this theme seems appropriate indeed.

With THE BRIDE (La novia), the new adaptation of Blood Wedding by Spanish filmmaker Paula Ortiz,(shown at left), we're getting what may be the version that suits our modern sensibilities best. At this year's Goya Awards, the film -- nominated for a slew of prizes -- won only two: for Best Supporting Actress (Luisa Gavasa, shown below, who gives a very strong performance as the groom's fraught mother) and Best Cinematography (quite gorgeous and plenty versatile by Miguel Angel Amoedo).

Why only two wins? TrustMovies' guess is that the answer, like the movie and original work itself, is all about passion. And it is very difficult to translate pure passion into any kind of rational, comprehensible form. (That's what passion does, right? It overrides all else.) Ms Ortiz makes a terrific stab at doing just this, and on some fronts she succeeds.

The filmmaker combines image, song, dance -- and always that passion -- into a gorgeous tapestry, and her film is full of wondrous images (as above and below): bold, poetic, beautiful. There's poetry in the dialog, too (adapted from the play by Ms Ortiz and Javier García Arredondo ); there would be, of course, given García Lorca's penchant for it.

Initially, all this works well. It stuns us, letting us know that something horrible has taken place, so that we need to know what has happened and why. Eventually, though, even as we learn the answers, enough specifics are missing so that we finally give up. "Yeah, yeah: You two love each other beyond all reason and recompense. What else is new?" (What helps make Ms Gavasa's performance so strong is that she is given enough of those specifics in the screenplay/dialog to create a rich, full character.)

My spouse gave up on the movie a little over halfway along. I persevered, due somewhat to duty (I am covering this one, after all) but also because of the film's great beauty and my respect for Ms Ortiz's brave attempt and partial success. (This director made the lovely From Your Window to Mine aka Chrysalis a few years back.)

The movie traves back and forth in time -- even into the future, via one creepy character -- with intelligence and economy; the landscapes are severe yet gorgeous, full of rock formations as phallic symbols; and the interiors (shown above: dank, dusty and seemingly never-been-cleaned) befit this mostly barren territory to a "t."

Inma Cuesta (above, right, from The Sleeping Voice and Cousinhood) makes a properly beautiful and passionate bride. Giving her a bit more specificity via dialog would have probably done wonders for the overall performance. Alex García (above, left) makes an appropriately hirsute and hunky object of her desire, while Asier Etxeandia (below and recently seen in Ma Ma) plays well the loving bridegroom finally driven crazy by all this passion.

From Outsider Pictures and running 96 minutes, the film has it theatrical premiere down here in South Florida, due, I suppose, to our very large Hispanic population. I hope it will find other outlets across the country, as well, because it deserves to be seen. For now it hits Miami at the Tower Theatre; Fort Lauderdale at the Cinema Paradiso; and in Hollywood, also at the Cinema Paradiso.

One cannot help but wonder what García Lorca (shown above) might have been able to do with his immense talent, had he lived longer than his cut-short-by-those-idiot-Franco-philes 38 years.

SCN: Paula Ortiz's CHRYSALIS--three women in three periods of Spanish history

A most intriguing exercise in connections -- social, political, economic and especially amorous and by extension, I think, feminist -- CHRYSALIS, the first full-length film from writer/director Paula Ortiz keeps us alert and concerned thanks to some excellent performances and stunning cinematography (the latter is via Miguel Ángel Amoedo, of Fermat's Room and a lot of Spanish TV), the former from the actresses who play the three women:   SCN regular Maribel Verdú (below), Leticia Dolera (further below and recently seen as the bride in [REC] 3!) and Luisa Gavasa (shown in the penultimate photo and new to me, as she's done mostly Spanish TV).

Other than via theme(s), there is no connection between these women or their stories, as the time frame moves from 1941 in a near-desert-like community during wartime, back to 1923 in a beautiful, secluded mountain village, and then far ahead to 1975 in the big city as the long fascist dictatorship was drawing to a close. The women's stories are unusual enough to keep us interested -- two engage in full-out love relationships that come to sad ends, while the third holds back, waiting for that someone special (movies play a big part in her life).

Ortiz moves us back and forth between the tales, holding us pretty firmly in her grasp, thanks not only to the strength of the three actresses but literally to every cast member, well-chosen and delivering exactly what is needed.

If the emotional high point, for me, at least, comes at a moment (shown above) -- in which superb visual technique combines with storytelling, character and my own anti-Franco feelings -- yours may occur elsewhere. Whatever the filmmaker loses by offering us three stories in which none of the character connect on the personal level, she gains back via the beauty of her images, the strength of the performances and the quiet state of wonder (in both meanings of the word) in which she leaves us pondering.

The original Spanish title of the film is De tu ventana a la mía, which I believe translates as From Your Window to Mine, and is a much better -- more personal and connective --- name for this film, even if less marquee-friendly. Chrysalis is too overused a title, though a butterfly does appear in one story, with its life cycle discussed at some length.

The film will be shown one more time -- this afternoon, Sunday, December 9, at 4pm -- at the Walter Reade theater -- and Ms Ortiz, shown at right, will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Spanish Cinema Now continues through December 16. See the entire program by clicking the link above.