L'arbre de Guernica (1975)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Fernando Arrabal

Writer:

Fernando Arrabal (writer)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

The Spanish Civil War, as experienced by the town of Villa Ramiro. The local count and his Fascist nephews ally with the rebels; the count's son...

Plot Keywords:

Archival Footage | Spanish Civil War | Fascist | Teacher | Dwarf

Cast

Mariangela Melato	...	Vandale
Ron Faber	...	Goya
Cosimo Cinieri	...	Rafael
Rocco Fontana	...	Antonio
Franco Ressel	...	Onesimo
Mario Novelli	...	Ramiro
Cirylle Spiga	...	Angel (as Cyrille Spiga)
Diego Bardon	...	Toreador
Adriano Cornelli	...	Soldier
Luigi D'Ecclesia	...	Soldier
Mimmo Imperato	...	Soldier
Franco Doria	...	Soldier
Salvatore Furnari	...	Soldier
Bento Urago	...	Count Cerralbo
Antonio Epifania	...	Gomez

Also Known As:

L'albero di Guernica (Italy)
The Tree of Guernica (International: English title)

Runtime:

Spain:110 min | USA:110 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

Matera, Basilicata, Italy

Company:

Babylone Films

Excellent surrealism

I got a chance to see a rare copy of this film, and if you can find it, I recommend seeing it. Arrabal condenses the entire Spanish Civil War into the fictional events around and in Villa Rimira. He masterfully illustrates the social relationships between the different classes while creating a fascinating piece. Very visual. Very metaphoric. A must see.