:
- Read the article on Viridiana, as well as the blog entry, and write a 300-700 response exploring how the film relates to any of the issues we have discussed in class: gender roles, the critique or authority, the contrast between tradition and modernity, the political allegories related to Franco or the Spanish Civil war).
- READ article on El espíritu de
la colmena (http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/447-the-spirit-of-the-beehive-spanish-lessons)
I am at a bit of a loss on the film The Spirit of the Beehive as I feel a number of my classmates are as well. I will attempt to extract the bits and pieces that I took away from the film. Set against the backdrop of a country ravaged and left desolate by civil war, Benuel’s influence still lingering, influencing artists that sought ways to discreetly create a voice for themselves, The Spirit of the Beehive was clear on one point---the town and its inhabitants had been changed forever by the war. The only real dialogue of any consequence comes to us in Theresa’s narrated letter to her unknown love in the beginning of the film. She describes emptiness, sadness, and hopelessness. Although she probably genuinely felt all of these emotions, the loss of someone she loved so deeply would have compounded her already raw psyche. She comes across as detached, at least from her male counterpart in the film, though very loving of Ana in the scene in which she is brushing her hair, embraces her, and kisses her. Her love for her child(ren) seems to come second to her longing for what she lost.
ReplyDeleteAna, as many younger sisters do, adores her older sister, her only playmate. She naively believes anything Isabel tells her. While Isabel at times protects her sister from the reality of the world they live in with make believe, she also tortures her with the same for example when she pretends to be dead only to sneak up behind her sister and petrify her. This could be linked to the love/hate relationship the people of France felt for Franco.
The house made an impression as the hollowness of it reflected the hollow lives the family lead. The echoing footsteps add to the horror element of the film while also resonating the emptiness of the character’s lives in the aftermath of war. As was mentioned in class, the glass panes represented a honeycomb, the characters living within their own beehive---systematic family function and relationship.
Franco’s Spain was isolated. But it was no were near as isolated and alienated as the characters in The Spirit of the Beehive. The film reflects and amplifies not only this aspect of post-civil war Spain, but at least two other aspects clearly.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let’s tackle the Isolation. Obviously Spain under nationalist policies was not a thing to be touched by other western powers. Hence the atmosphere of isolation that the village itself undergoes. This can also be tied to the understanding that to show the actual locations of the Civil War would’ve required a political stance on the part of the film, which is something Francoist films appear to try and avoid. Instead, the filmmaker imports figures of the war.
The film Frankenstein is imported to the village to jumpstart Ana’s journey of discovery. She quickly becomes fascinated with the creature, perhaps for its ‘outsider-ness’. The more she goes in search of it, the more she finds. Initially it’s just a footprint, then it is a full-fledged guerilla soldier. The soldier has the most plausible connection to Frankenstein’s monster. The guerillas were also an amalgamation, one that suffered violence and terrible oppression by the world they tried to enter (i.e. Nationalist Spain). It is telling of Ana’s role that the only other character in the film besides her sister that she interacts with in a positive way is that soldier. She becomes the monster later on, and after that she is not only changed, but almost evolved beyond the need to interact with the Spain around her. The fact that she last sees it as a melding of her adoptive father would seems to signify that the symbolic figure of the monster (which is likely a symbol of life outside of nationalism) has become more of a parent and role model than her actual adoptive father.
The term Adoptive is applied to him simply because Ana is clearly not his biological child. He is her Franco, a distant authority that controls the austere house, without love or humanity. When he attempts to discipline her in the end, she runs scared. His only interaction with her is to oppress her.
The Spirit of the Beehive Review (Thursday HW)
ReplyDelete---Xiaoke Qi
The Spirit of the Beehive revealed the shadow of the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of Ana. Director Victor Erice used a lot of scenes to describe the curiosity and confusion in Ana’s innocent eyes. Ana was not awareness of the importance of eyes when she watched the movie Dr. Frankenstain, and thus her sister Isabel had to reminded her of the missing eyes on the model in science class. However, when the teacher announced that Don Jose (the model) can see now, Ana started to look at the world. Yet as an innocent child, Ana did not have the ability to tell the difference between truth and hallucination. For example, she pointed out a mushroom, but it was actually a poisonous one. she saw Isabel lying on the floor and thought she was hurt, but it was a joke from her sister. She viewed the man run off the train as Dr. Frankenstain, but he turned out to be a deserter that was killed eventually. The fact that the poisonous mushroom had to be destroyed, the fact that Isabel shocked and laughed at her, and the fact that the deserter was killed in her secret shelter scared her. She became reticent and cold when realizing the cruel reality behind her fantasy. The fear of seeing the cruel reality of destruction, helplessness, and sadness forced her to run away. Director Erice used many long shots and full shot behind Ana so that we could see the world from the eyes of Ana. Ana grew up from these “mistakes” but it was a painful experience. The same experience happened to every Spanish that went through the civil war. All Spanish people were dreaming for a peaceful world without the oppression of Franco’s control and church authority, but the civil war brought in nothing but suffering. Ana was lost in the vision, and she was still in the vision asking for the spirit to speak to her. So was the public in the civil war.
Director Erice had so much to say about the destruction and sadness caused by the civil war, yet the oppressive rule of Franco forced him to use the camouflage of children’s film to protect his metaphor to politics. The nation was divided during the civil war, and we could see the same in the family. They were never in the same scene. Even in the scene of eating breakfast, Fernando (the father) was distrustful; Teresa (the mother) was uncaring; Isabel was happy; and Ana was scared; yet they were never put in the same shoot. Dr. Frankenstain and the run-away soldier were also a good metaphor of the civil war and dictatorship. The nation created Dr. Frankenstain, yet they had to kill him when they lost control of it. The same thing with the civil war when the cruelty drove people away: they had to kill the soldier and put the dead body in the town hall under the screen that showed the death of Dr. Frankenstain. The restless beehive was another symbol of the chaos in the Spain society. The queen took over the resources and gave command while the labor bees worked day and night to support the queen, knowing nothing about tomorrow besides the endless work. The system was still in effective, and the civil war, with the massive amount of destruction, did not change a thing. The movie did not spend much close-up on the destruction of war, but it was everywhere in the movie. The abandoned shelter became the Ana’s secret dreamland, and she was found behind the ruins of war. In a little girls’ fantasy, Ana did not have nothing but ugly Frankenstein, restless beehive, poisonous mushroom, injured deserter, and the spirit of a dictator that was everywhere. What worse thing can a war do to a nation than destroying the childhood of the nation’s next generations?
Within Carlos Saura’s Spirit of the Beehive, there is a motif of isolation that reflects the isolation felt around the time of the Spanish Civil War. This specifically comes up in both the physical and emotional sense within the film. To begin with, there really are not very many scenes in which there are more than one or two people. In a family setting, this is something very noticeable because the archetypal image of a family is collected together. So, in this, there is a very clear image of separation. Even though, still many of the scenes within Spirit of the Beehive have more than one person, with both sisters, there still a sense of emotional isolation. In their relationship, Isabel continually takes adage of Ana. She exploits her sister’s believability and makes her believe false things like when she cruelly makes her sister believe she is dead. In another way, the physical sense of isolation is shown in the film’s high attention to framing. In most scenes there is extreme framing around one of the characters. This creates an image of them that is boxed in. They are physically separated from everything around them through the framing. Further, on a larger note, the setting in general is very isolated. From the town, to the house to the shack, everything seems remote and secluded. This is exemplified in the scene in which the scene where the house is shot at night with what looks like each light on. Not only is this a lonely looking house in the dark but every light is on in it. This alludes to the idea that there are people in each room and since there are not very many family members this means that almost all of them are alone in their rooms. Overall, Saura carefully places and frames Spirit of the Beehive in order to emulate the feelings of isolation during the Spanish Civil War.
ReplyDeleteThe Spirit of the Beehive is very subtle and vague. It seems that the messages being conveyed are slippery and hard to grasp. Immediately, the Frankenstein/Franco comparison jumps out, but that seems too easy and a clumsy, obvious criticism. What is the most poignant statement in the film is easily seen throughout every shot. The crumbling buildings, austere locations and isolation of each character depict a post-civil war reality that is Franco’s Spain. The mother writes letters to a refugee in France. The father listens silently to the radio. Ana gives aid to the injured guerilla in the desolate farm house. These images and actions give the viewer an idea of the tendril-like effect the civil war had on the common people. Erice even kept the names of the places and actors the same to really drive home this device. Instead of a blunt critique, he allows the setting to the devastation in a way words could not. Ana’s obsession with the spirit her sister told her about really sticks out as well. She seems horrified by the monster in the movie and the death of the girl and the monster, yet she rushes headlong to meet her very own “spirit”. She believes she has met that spirit in the guerilla but is disappointed and shocked at his death. When she has her moment by the lake, her reflection turns into the monster. When the monster approaches it is her father. These images and contrasts leave the viewer disoriented and confused much like the child protagonist.
ReplyDeletePara Viernes-
ReplyDeleteEl espíritu de la colmena estaba dirigido por Víctor Erice en 1973 con una protagonista se llama Ana, una niña, no más que seis años, quien está superada por la idea de un espíritu. Pero la película tiene muchos temas subyacentes más que la espiralidad que incluye el deterioro de los valores familiares, el aislamiento, y la organización de la colmena. Los temas son muy relativo del régimen Franco y la manera en que él controlaba la sociedad de España después de la guerra civil en 1939.
Esta película es una commentaria directamente de la Guerra Civil y los anõs siguientes. Durante la Guerra Civil (1936-1939) el país de España empezaba a separarse. Había dos lados y Erice demuestra la separación en la familia de Ana. La vida emocional de la familia de Ana, Isabel, su hermana, Don Fernando, quien es, posiblemente, su padre biológico, y su madre, Teresa, es complicada, sin comunicación, excepto por muy pocas circunstancias que implican la muerte. En España durante los años de la Guerra Civil, el país era dividido entre los nacionalistas y los republicanos. No había comunicación, sólo la muerte y esto está representado en la visión de Erice con la familia.
La ubicación de la película y las ubicaciones específicamente que Erice había filmado es el aspecto de la película muy importante. En los años que siguieron la Guerra Civil, los tres poderes, Churchill, Stalin, y Roosevelt escogieron a dejar España en un estado neutral sin ayuda del mundo exterior. Nada había entrada y nada había salido. España fue aislado. En la película, no hay una conexión con el mundo exterior. La población del pueblo fue aislado dentro de la propia. Esto está representado en los campos vacíos y enormes del film.
Lo más importante de El espíritu de la colmena es el disgusto de Fernando a la organización y los mentes vacantes de las abejas. Durante el régimen de Franco no había el espacio para la creatividad ni originalidad. Cada cosa estaba organizado para lo que quería. El disgusto con los movimientos de las abejas representa el disgusto de Erice con la manera de vida durante los años 1939-1975 y como toda la gente era controlado.
Before the class discussion, I did not see why this movie chose the metaphor of the beehive over many other similar mental freakouts the father could have had.
ReplyDeleteIt was very disconnected and pretty much the mirrored opposite of the other allegories I saw in the film. Almost all the children were without parents and all of them were without the direction of parental authority. Frankenstein, while sharing the name Frank, was not a figure of authority in this movie so much as a kind escape from the fear authority brings. Even the soldiers when on screen were not authoritarian in how they interacted with the locals. This town was empty of productivity, so the chaos of the children was not equivalent to the beehive either. As far as I could tell the father's rant about his opened up beehive didn't have a basis in reality either, as the only one shown looking at his beehive other than himself was Ana. And Ana was enthralled, even mesmerized, by it not disgusted at all. If anything the movie was a counterpoint to the 'spirit of the beehive', or so I thought.
During our class discussion, an interesting allegory was mentioned: that the father was simultaneously representing an intellect on the losing side of the civil war and Francostein, a mix of Frankenstein and Franco. This contradictory definition actually made the beehive fit the narrative. This movie wasn't about how the Franco regime was evil, but rather about how people were lost and afraid of how the changes will look to the children. The Father had tried to teach his girls how to survive off of mushrooms, but beyond that he had no idea how to talk to them or what they were thinking. He was bad at comforting his little girls, perhaps because he had lost his source of comfort himself.
Ana was especially lost and found comfort in the idea of a friendly spirit called frankenstein, a white lie her sister told her after they watched the movie. Ana followed her sister in finding a place where they could meet frankenstein. Ana went back to that abandoned house afterwards hoping to befriend the spirit, and found an injured rebel therein. Frankenstein became real to Ana, regardless of whether that man lived or died. Frankenstein looked like a mix of Frankenstein and her father to Ana, revealing that she saw a kindness in his authority and silence. But, Ana was still afraid of her father's voice. In an odd sense this was the spirit of the beehive: an authority that gave comfort, so long as it kept quite and embraced the small, lost child in its protection. This spirit was the hope the screenwriters had for the Franco Administration, a kind hand that kept it's people safe, did not interfere with their growing up and even let them make the occasional mistake. I believe the screenwriters were hoping Franco would be a benevolent dictator, or were at least asking him to be one.
-Tim Henderson
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlex Willis
ReplyDeleteIn Victor Erice’s 1973 film, The Spirit of the Beehive, viewers are given a unique perspective of the political influence of cinema at the end of Francisco Franco’s reign. The development of a modernizing society is apparent in this film when comparing it to Death of a Cyclist and Viridiana.
The first piece of evidence that this film represented a transforming society was the fact that the stars of the film were two young girls supported by an adult cast. Erice could be making and attempt to show that a youthful and refreshing political change is imminent. To add on to this, the girls’ behavior gives the audience a sense of curiosity and apprehension, particularly through Ana. This could be conveying Erice’s thoughts of the near future, possibly how he is optimistic but also a bit worried about was is to come.
Another allegory I pulled from this film was the idea of the beehive representing Spanish Society. Every bee plays a part to create a greater hive as a whole with a queen bee (Francisco Franco) ruling over them. The fact that Fernando loses sleep trying to create a better hive could be pointing to the fact that Erice feels this way about politics as well. Although very organized and stable, Erice could have had the desire to see change and progress in Spain at the end of an exhausting Franco reign. Another possibly significant symbol could be the scene where Ana is interacting with the bees in the wire cage. It seems as if Spain is trapped in this traditional setting and Erice is looking for outside inspiration to set the country free. To round up this idea of political allegories I thought it was interesting that large parts of the film were left for the audience to interpret themselves. It gives a sense of curiosity, a feeling that was probably universal in filmmaker’s minds at the end of the Franco dictatorship.
One question I have that I have not found an answer to is why Frankenstein is such a large part of this film and why does Fernando represent this character. I suppose that Erice might like Frankenstein so much that he had to incorporate it into his film, but I don’t see how Fernando is like Frankenstein in Ana’s mind.
El director, Víctor Erice, escribió “El espíritu de la colmena” en una forma original. Esta obra logra entrar en la mente y consciencia de la audiencia con delicadez. El comienzo del relato, transporta a la audiencia a un lugar real pero en forma de contar un cuento. Es interesante ver la reacción de los niños cuando saben que el camión trae una nueva película al pueblo. Hay mucha emoción por algo tan simple. La curiosidad de los niños establece el tono del resto de la historia. El drama nos muestra a Ana e Isabel intrigadas por el monstro en la película de Frankenstein, donde el monstro tira al agua a una niña que termina ahogándose. Ambas son impactadas por lo que sus “ojos percibieron” pero, Ana, siendo más tierna de edad, comienza a hacer preguntas acerca del monstro. Isabel siendo la hermana mayor, le explica que las películas no son reales y que el monstro solo existe en espíritu. También le dice a Ana que solo tiene que “identificarse” para poder hablar con el espíritu. Después, Isabel, lleva a Ana a un espacio retirado de su casa, a una granja desolada donde supuestamente vive el espíritu. Ana también le impresiono en la escuela el muñeco de anotomía, le faltaban los “ojos” y Ana se los puso para hacerlo un “ser” o “identidad” completa.
ReplyDeletePor otro lado, el padre de las niñas esta intrigado por las habilidades extraordinarias de las abejas que laboran al ritmo mecánico de un reloj. Admira las colmenas y las “observa” detalladamente. El padre tiene envidia del mundo tan ordenado de las abejas, “no permite enfermedad ni muerte.” Es un mundo casi perfecto, pero, para “ver” en profundidad esa perfección, Fernando expone a las abejas a través de un vidrio transparente.
A pesar de que la obra esta superdotada de una fuente fuerte de adivinanzas y enigmas, el acertijo más importante, es el de la “visión.” El director, Víctor Erice, publicó esta obra cuando Franco aún estaba en vida. Tal vez, presentía que Franco moriría y sabía que a España le faltaba “identificarse a través de una nueva visión” sin Franco. Víctor Erice quería poner en alerta a España, pero sabía que no podía dar tal aviso y poder preparar a España, de forma directa. Es genial de parte del escritor, crear una obra que le habla a España, pero despista la censura de Franco. En primer lugar, Víctor Erice, se asegura de poner un descargo de responsabilidad ante los ojos de censura cuando Isabel le dice a Ana, que las películas “no son reales.” El mensaje a España, es totalmente diferente, porque, durante las escenas donde Ana le pone los ojos a Don José, Víctor Erice, crea un ambiente de sugestión. A “España” le hacen falta ojos para tener una nueva percepción y lograr identificarse. La película causa que Ana “refleje y haga preguntas.” Isabel le dice a Ana que el “monstro Frankenstein es un espíritu.” Esta es otra sugestión, de que la audiencia refleje y haga preguntas. También avisa que “Franco-stein” pronto solo será un espíritu o que morirá. Por lo pronto, España debe prepararse con una nueva visión y espíritu nacional. La sugestión es la probabilidad de “El espíritu de la colmena.” Es por eso que, Víctor Erice, pone a las abejas en un mundo transparente para hacer su sugerencia más clara. Los españoles ya conocen la dictadura pero la sugerencia es la posibilidad de adaptar el espíritu de las abejas que trabajan colectivamente para y por una sola visión. La sugerencia es que no hace falta la reina de las abejas (Franco) para poder adaptar una nueva visión y espíritu. En la escena donde Ana se encuentra con el monstro, es simbólico a la España tierna en su nueva visión, pero fuerte para enfrentarse a su monstro. Después del enfrentamiento con su monstro, al final de la obra, Ana se identifica con su nombre, llamando al espíritu, pero ya no el de “Franco-stein” si no al “Espíritu de la colmena.” Víctor Erice utiliza la delicadez del personaje de Ana, para ponerle los “ojos a España.”
Siempre debemos de buscar el lado positivo a las cosas, hasta en una película que censura ideas, de opiniones opuestas, de diferentes maneras de pensar. Incluso en la más profunda oscuridad puede surgir un destello de luz, por leve que sea. Abordar la censura quizás puede convertirse en un ejercicio para explorar las capacidades de un artista, que no tiene por qué ser necesariamente mejor que mostrar, pero sí invita a hacer un esfuerzo intelectual cuando se comprende el trasfondo de la película.
ReplyDeleteVíctor Erice juega con dominio la censura en “El espíritu de la colmena”. La represión es visible a través de cartas, fotografías, recuerdos y entre los mismos actores. Otra cosa que podemos apreciar es la época al igual que la situación social-política que en mi opinión es la representación del Sr. Jose donde sus órganos presentan la España dividida y que necesita ser reconstruida y también representa un pueblo que no quiere ver la realidad. Fernando y Teresa sufren en silencio las consecuencias de la Guerra Civil (Guerra Civil Española), recuerdan con dolor un pasado feliz, anhelando un futuro que la violencia se llevó, llorando por dentro a los que ya no están, como hace entender las escenas en las que Teresa envía cartas pero no recibe. El pasado les obliga a vivir, no en el exilio, pero lejanos del pueblo central y recluidos en una casa. Dentro de la colmena, pero aislados en un pueblo perdido. Aceptando el funcionamiento jerárquico de la colmena. Alienados.
El contrapunto lo ponen las niñas, sobre todo Ana, ajena a la oscura realidad, soñando con el cine y El Dr. Frankenstein. Isabel está más en convivencia con este mundo real. Se muestra indiferente al dolor ajeno, disfrutando de él, y asume la muerte con naturalidad. En cambio a Ana la muerte le afecta. Cree que las películas no mienten, pues ha visto con sus propios ojos al monstruo. El maquis, a quien cree ser el monstruo y quien representa, al igual que el monstruo del doctor Frankenstein, aquellos que huyen repudiados por la sociedad, encarnando el mal y los valores que ésta rechaza. Ana lo descubre y le ayuda. La inocencia y la gran imaginación de Ana chocan frontalmente con el mundo sombrío y dañino creado por los adultos, una colmena donde no existe el individuo, donde es anulado y en la que ella descubre qué es el dolor y la muerte. A pesar de la infancia traumatizada, los sueños y la bondad de una niña sobreviven y vencen. Igualmente la censura gana y se le escapa la verdad disfrazada, siendo esto el poder de la imaginación. El espíritu de la colmena.
David Lopez
ReplyDeleteLa película El Espíritu de la Colmena, dirigida por Víctor Erice, es única porque jamás ha visto una película igual. La película toma lugar después de la guerra civil en España y después de que Francisco Franco tomo poder sobre España. La película es peculiar porque demuestra España durante un tiempo muy duro para todos, pero lo demuestra de una manera muy subliminal. Con el uso de sonido y música, El Espíritu de la Colmena, tiene un sentido como si fuera película de terror. El sonido el estilo en que la película esta dirigida construye un sentido de anticipación e intranquilidad. Por ejemplo, cuando Isabel juega con el gato negro (que es simbólico para algo malicioso) y el gato la rasguña cortando su dedo, con la sangre que sale de su dedo, Isabel luego se lo pone en sus labios, como si era pintalabios. Después que se embarra la sangre en sus labios, camera cambia y vemos un cuadro con una partitura omino y con personajes estilo “esperpento” y lo último que vemos del cuadro es una calavera con un rosario negro, simbolizando muerte posiblemente la muerte de España. Otro ejemplo es cuando los niños estaban juegan con la fogata, vemos Isabel y otros niños saltando sobre la lumbre. Pero brinca en camera lenta y se ve de imagen congelada cuando ella está arriba del fuego y otra vez se escucha una partitura, otra vez, muy omino y la música construye una anticipación para un clímax. Pero vemos que nada pasa en ninguna situación. Varias veces entre la película se encuentran situaciones donde anticipamos algo que nunca viene. Eso fue el mensaje que quiso mandar Víctor Erice al público de España, que el cine del tiempo bajo Franco no era nada. Pero no nomas era un comentó al cine Español del tiempo, también recreo lo que se sentía durante ese tiempo. Con el poco dialogo, el sentido de anticipación, y la familia de Isabel que está casi separada, hace la audiencia sentir ansioso; igual como la gente de España debían de ver sentido después de la guerra civil.
Victor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive makes a statement on the condition of the people after the Spanish Civil War. Initially, I could not understand the film. It seemed so vague. The Spirit of the Beehive continuously seems to be making a point and then not saying anything at all. I believe that this is the point. During the time of the Francoist era, Spanish citizens lived under the notion of not knowing their own situations. The film takes the viewer through this experience as well, creating an experience where one is not completely sure of what is happening. The young girl, Ana, and her sister Isabel are followed throughout the film. It is fitting as the children attempt to grasp an understanding of the world. The viewer attempts to grasp the devastation citizens had to live through during the Francoist era. The Spirit of the Beehive speaks to this struggle and immerges the audience into the uncertainty felt of the war.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the film are instances where the land is seen desolate. Ana and Isabel repeatedly go to the abandoned clay house. They lurk around the house, aimlessly wondering around. The other children of the town are seen repeatedly without their parents. The adults seem to be left to their own devices without much mind to the children. One day seems to run into the other as each person listlessly carries on with their daily activities. Erice creates a message of the Franco era. Purposely, the film is does not point to any certain answer. The film parallels the worlds of fantasy and reality in the attempt to bring the viewer into understanding the reality existing after the war. Frankenstein is shown in the film, revealing a monster that haunts Ana. She is unsure of his motivations. I would not go as far to say that Frankenstein completely matches the personality of Franco, but there is the connection of him being thought of as a monster as well. Through these images the viewer is in question of what will happen. Like the people dealing with the aftermath of the war, no one is certain of what will happen.
Although it is frustrating to follow, the ambiguity of The Spirit of the Beehive is perfect in mirroring the vague time of the Franco era. Many people were looking for answers. There were those looking to start over. Like bees, the people continue to wonder around working. Then unlike bees, there is no clear goal in mind and the people have forgotten to work together. Answers are needed and the style of the film helps the views to want these answers as well.
Victor Erice’s, “The Spirit of The Beehive” is a very ambiguous film during the Franco-era. The entire time I was watching the film, I felt as if the story was being told in bits and pieces, telling only half of several stories. The only theory I believe it ties in with the Franco-era is how the population of Spain was left in the dark during his uprise. As the populace was masked with propaganda and omittance, they were told only partial stories and never given the full information, just like how the movie was shot. The movie had very jagged transitions, along with mixture of dialogue moving fast in some scenes, and very slow especially when Ana was the main picture. I believe Ana’s father is also, in a way Franco, watching over his glass Beehives as if they are his “inferiors.” With the amount of censorship during Francoist era, citizens were constantly watched over, similar ways the Beehives have no privacy.
ReplyDeleteI believe the two daughters Ana and Isabel wandering around the abandoned home behind their house represents the citizens who knew the Franco-era regime may not be the best for Spain. Ana and Isabel were very sneaky and did not want to be caught, the same as citizens who did not want to be caught finding out the “truth” by “betraying” Franco and doing their own research at the time. In addition, it seems the children are the ones who are only curious whereas the adults carry on their lives because either they did not allow their curiosity wander off too much as they knew the consequences. I believe Erice had some very interesting mindsets of how people thought during the Franco-era, including how many people are unsure of people’s motivations. It seems to me Erice did not have the most optimistic opinion about Franco, using Frankenstein’s monster to represent the ugliness of Spain at the time. As no one knew what would happen after the Spanish Civil War, the ambiguity represents people’s feelings in Spain. Erice tries to represent the lives of Spain in this film through subtle and lighting imagery.