Cria Cuervos (1976) Cría cuervos (original title)

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writer:

Carlos Saura (story)

Release Date:

18 May 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In Madrid, the orphan sisters Irene, Ana and Maite are raised by their austere aunt Paulina together...

Plot Keywords:

Orphan | Spain | Flashback | Childhood Trauma | Childhood Fantasy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Geraldine Chaplin	...	Maria - The Mother / Ana - The Daughter as an Adult
Mónica Randall	...	Paulina - The Aunt
Florinda Chico	...	Rosa
Ana Torrent	...	Ana
Héctor Alterio	...	Anselmo
Germán Cobos	...	Nicolás Garontes
Mirta Miller	...	Amelia Garontes
Josefina Díaz	...	Abuela - The Grandmother
Conchita Pérez	...	Irene
Mayte Sanchez	...	Maite (as Maite Sánchez)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Juan Sánchez Almendros

Directed by
Carlos Saura

Writing credits
Carlos Saura		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Pedro El Samu	....	assistant producer
Elías Querejeta	....	producer

Original Music by
Federico Mompou
José Luis Perales

Cinematography by
Teo Escamilla

Film Editing by
Pablo G. del Amo		(as Pablo G. Del Amo)

Production Design by
Rafael Palmero

Costume Design by
Maiki Marín

Makeup Department
Tomasa Benito	....	assistant makeup artist
Concepción Cano	....	hair stylist (as Conchita Cano)
Romana González	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gregorio Hebrero	....	production supervisor
Fernando Hermoso	....	unit manager
Primitivo Álvaro	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roberto Parra	....	third assistant director
Pedro Pérez	....	second assistant director
Francisco J. Querejeta	....	first assistant director

Art Department
M. Del Marin Carmin	....	set designer
Jesús Mateos	....	furniture maker (as J. Mateos)
Jesús Mateos	....	props (as J. Mateos)

Sound Department
Antonio Illán	....	sound re-recordist (as Antonío Illán)
Bernardo Menz	....	sound (as Bernardo Mens)
Miguel Ángel Polo	....	boom operator (as Miguel Polo)
Miguel Ángel Polo	....	sound (as Miguel Polo)

Camera and Electrical Department
José M. de Nicolás	....	assistant camera (as José MaNicolás)
Javier A. López Martinez	....	still photographer
Domingo Solano	....	second camera operator
Santiago Zuazo	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Angelines Castro	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
David Raposo	....	assistant editor
Juan Ignacio San Mateo	....	assistant editor (as Juan San Mateo)

Other crew
Pedro Esteban	....	production assistant (as Pedro Esteban Samu)
M. Grange	....	french adaptation: original version with subtitles
Gregorio Hebrero	....	production assistant
Paco Lucio	....	script supervisor (as Francisco J. Lucio)
Roberto Parra	....	production assistant
Jean-Pierre Vincent	....	press attache: France

Production Companies

• Elías Querejeta Producciones Cinematográficas S.L. (as Una Produccíon Elías Querejeta)

Distributors

• Emiliano Piedra (1976) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Manga Films (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• ABC-Kinot (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Belga Films (1976) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Gala Film Distributors (????) (UK) (theatrical)
• Interama (????) (USA) (theatrical)
• Jason Allyn (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• PAC (197?) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Carlotta Films (2007) (France) (DVD) (PAL speed-up) (remastered)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2009) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Exa S.A.  sound re-recording (as EXA)
• Madrid Film S.A.  laboratory (as Madrid Film)

Also Known As:

"Cría cuervos" - Spain (original title)
"Cria!" - USA
"Rear Ravens" - International (English title) (alternative title)

Runtime:

Germany:110 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG | UK:12 | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Elías Querejeta Producciones Cinematográficas S.L.

Trivia:

The title in Spanish stems from the phrase "Raise ravens and they'll pluck out your eyes". The equivalent phrase in English would be "you reap what you sow".

Quotes:

Maite:My mother died before I was born.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: Episode #7.4" (1994)

Soundtrack:

¡Ay, Maricruz!

Morbid Recollections of a Dark Childhood

In Madrid, the orphan sisters Irene (Conchota Pérez), Ana (Ana Torrent) and Maite (Maite Sánchez) are raised by their austere aunt Paulina (Mônica Randall) together with their mute and crippled grandmother after the death of their mother (Geraldine Chaplin) and their military father Anselmo (Héctor Alterio). Ana is a melancholic girl, fascinated by death, after seeing her mother having a painful death and her father dead in bed.

"Cria Cuervos" is a beautiful and sad movie of Carlos Saura that can be watched in two levels: in the first plane, it is a film that recalls the style of the family dramas of Ingmar Bergman. However, in a deeper level, the story is actually a metaphor of the recent Spanish political history, and each character represents a segment of their society: Ana's father represents the military dictatorship of Franco; her dying mother, the republic; her grandmother, those who miss the republic; Ana is probably the youth with a sad childhood surrounded by deaths. The conclusion is a message of hope for the people. I believe that those familiarized with the Spanish history would find many other elements, but in both levels this movie is wonderful. The title is a reference to the Spanish proverb "Cría cuervos y te sacaran los ojos" which means "Raise the ravens, and they will remove your eyes". Ana Torrent shows her amazing talent in the beginning of her successful career. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Cría Cuervos…" ("Raise Ravens…")