Genre: Drama

Director: Víctor Erice

Every now and then a film will come along that will permeate your senses and linger in your memory for a very long time, Spirit of the Beehive is such a film.  Made in 1973 by Spanish director Victor Erice it tells the tale of two young sisters, Ana and Isabel, living in post civil war rural Spain during the early forties with a father who ponders on the meaning of life as he tends his beehives, and a mother who, so bored with the life she has ended up with, dreams of an imaginary lover in a far off place, but where all sadly carry the heavy burden of Franco's oppression.  A travelling picture show comes to the village and the locals eagerly gather in the town-hall bringing all manner of stools and chairs as they settle down excitedly to watch Boris Karloff in Frankenstein.

The film has a huge impact on the girls and in particular Ana (Ana Torrent) who is stunning to watch on screen and gives one of the best child performances I have ever witnessed.  Her huge eyes dominate the screen, burning with a mixture of innocence and maturity every time she is in focus.  She becomes obsessed with finding the monster and begins secreting herself away after school in a deserted farmhouse in the hope of finding him.  She eventually encounters an escaped convict who for the briefest of times becomes Frankenstein in the girl’s eyes.  And even when he is captured by the authorities, she still clings on to the dream of finding the elusive monster.  This is a slow moving, haunting, atmospheric and thought provoking piece of work.  With some stunning photography, that allows us to see the real isolation felt by so many (particularly in rural locations) who lived under Franco's heavy handed regime.  There is so much symbolic imagery to see here, it doesn't just touch your soul it dances right over it.

However, if you want action this film is not for you... The pace is very slow and you almost feel on times there is little happening but it's so deceptive... as there is much going on beneath the surface, so many layers that have been crafted to perfection, it leaves you breathless on times, but ultimately it is left to the audience to unravel the stark and poignant political messages that are so cleverly hidden in this film.  A stunning cinematic experience.

Reviewed by Mary Kate, Premier Movie Reviews 2006.

Fernando Fernán Gómez

Teresa Gimpera

Ana Torrent

Isabel Tellería

Ketty de la Cámara

RECOMMENDED