The Garden of Delights (1970)
"El jardín de las delicias" (original title)

The greedy relatives of an amnesic and paralytic 45 years old millionaire try him to recover his memory by any means.

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writers:

Rafael Azcona, Carlos Saura (idea),

Stars:

José Luis López Vázquez, Luchy Soto, Francisco Pierrá

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Luis López Vázquez	...	Antonio
Luchy Soto	...	Luchy
Francisco Pierrá	...	Don Pedro
Charo Soriano	...	Actriz
Lina Canalejas	...	Tía
Julia Peña	...	Julia
Mayrata O'Wisiedo	...	Enfermera
Esperanza Roy	...	Nicole
Alberto Alonso	...	Tony
Luis Peña	...	Ejecutivo
José Nieto	...	Ejecutivo
Antonio Canal	...	Ejecutivo (as Tony Canal)
Eduardo Calvo	...	Amigo 4
Marisa Porcel	...	Criada
Luisa Fernanda Gaona	...	Criada

Storyline

Surreal look at a family's attempts to shock, bully, frighten, coach, and cajole Antonio Cano into regaining his memory and his management powers after an auto accident. He's middle-aged, wealthy, the leader of a family corporation. After the accident he can't remember his Swiss bank account numbers, can't sign documents, and can't lead his board of directors. His father needs Antonio's recovery to keep family control of the corporation, and Antonio's wife, children, and mistress want access to Antonio's money. They stage elaborate recreations of traumas in his childhood that mix with his own memories and hallucinations. Will they succeed? Will he come out of it?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

3 May 1972 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Garden of Delights

Filming Locations:

Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 12,245,083 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elías Querejeta Producciones Cinematográficas S.L.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Concierto de Aranjuez"
Written by Joaquín Rodrigo
Performed by Ernesto Bitetti
Conducted by José Buenagú (as Jose Buenagu)

User Reviews

A fascinating mixture of fantasy, reality, sadism and tragedy.

A fascinating mixture of fantasy, reality, sadism and tragedy. The main character, Antonio, is confined to a wheelchair, and is generally unresponsive to the world around him. His family is bent on shocking him back to reality by re-enacting various scenes from his life. It's often unclear what their real motives are. Antonio's story unfolds slowly, and each new revelation leaves you with more questions. The mix of the family's play acting, with Antonio's memories and fantasies gives the film a surrealistic air. Definitely not a up-beat film, but well worth watching.