My FILM review for
this month:
back
/
next
Todo sobre mi madre
Pedro Almodóvar - 1999
This film review is a contribution to the
Spanish Word-A-Day written by Christopher Champion from Oxford.
This was a hit film when it was released, and even
enjoyed success in English speaking countries (the title in English is
All About My Mother). The film is a great
representation of Pedro Almodóvar’s (the director) work, since it deals
with many key issues that he is interested in. The opening sequence
shows us immediately his interest in the creative process, not to
mention the way Esteban is writing the story of his mother, which is, we
assume, what we are watching. The role of viewer and media is turned on
its head as we watch him writing from within the TV set and so we are
plunged into what is certainly going to be a film full of details worth
pondering.
As the title suggests it is about his
mother and this is where another major interest of Almodóvar’s comes
into play: women. He is fascinated by the role of women and sexuality
(this can be seen in most of his films not least in the international
hit “Mujeres al Bordo de un Ataque de Nervios”
– “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”).
In this film, amongst other things, we are given insights into the
seedier side of Barcelona, and the problems to do with prostitution as
well as an interesting look at transvestites. Almodóvar is not trying to
shock, as in his earlier films, with the inclusion of transvestites
instead he is looking at them as human beings and developing an empathy
towards them during the film.
Another key feature is the use of a film or a
play within the film. Layers of fiction have existed for centuries, as
far back as Don Quijote, but here the plays or films are woven in to
create subtle effects either creating parallels with the action in the
foreground of the film, or provoking thoughts relevant to the other
characters. One of the most effective uses of this is when we start
questioning where the acting stops and the real character begins,
something seen in more details in Carlos Saura’s work. The main play
interwoven is a reproduction of a film version of Tenesee Williams’ “A
Streetcar Named Desire”, a fantastic play well worth reading,
but there are three interwoven plays/films that I spotted, see if you
can work them all out (the third is a tricky one).
This film is a fascinating insight into the
mind of the protagonist, Manuela, in her chaotic life and it is full of
poignant scenes, emotion and sublime moments of comedy (watch out for La
Agrado’s monologue, a highly entertaining piece of impromptu
entertainment).
This is a great place to start with
Almodóvar, since it is a film that you can appreciate many times (to
date I have watched it 8 times), and it explores most of the major
themes he is interested in. Almodóvar’s films are available in box sets,
and I think they are excellent value and mostly very good films.
However, they are not for the fainthearted, so before committing
yourself I recommend you see this film and decide for yourself what you
think about Almodóvar. As ever, if you do buy this film please buy it
through the links to Amazon so that Spanish
Word-A-Day can benefit from your purchase.
Note: You support Spanish-Word-A-Day
if you click on any of the links and buy anything you want at Amazon.
|