Carmen (1983/I)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writers:

Prosper Mérimée (novel)
Carlos Saura (scenario) ...

Release Date:

6 May 1983 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Tagline:

Never before has the art of flamenco dance been so pulsatingly sensual. Or a love so treacherously obsessive. In this explosive interpretation of the classic opera "Carmen", the lines between passionate illusion and real life become intricately entwined. Your senses will be aroused like never before. And never again will you see anything like it.

Plot:

A group of flamenco dancers are rehearsing a very spanish version of the Prosper Merimee's drama. Antonio...

Plot Keywords:

Jealousy | Opera | Flamenco | Ménage À Trois | Spain

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Antonio Gades	...	Antonio
Laura del Sol	...	Carmen
Paco de Lucía	...	Paco
Marisol	...	Pepa Flores (as Pepa Flores)
Cristina Hoyos	...	Cristina
Juan Antonio Jiménez	...	Juan
José Yepes	...	Pepe Girón
Sebastián Moreno	...	Escamillo
Gómez de Jerez	...	Cantaores
Manolo Sevilla	...	Cantaores
Antonio Solera	...	Guitarristes
Manuel Rodríguez	...	Guitarristes
Lorenzo Virseda	...	Guitarristes
M. Magdalena	...	Artistas invitados
La Bronce	...	Artistas invitados

Also Known As:

Carmen: Inspirada en la novela de Merimée y la ópera de Bizet (Spain) (complete title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Emiliano Piedra

Movie Connections:

Version of Carmen di Trastevere (1963)

Soundtrack:

Carmen

You don't need to love opera or flamenco(I don't)to be captured, enraptured, enthralled by this film

This is an amazing film, both for the incredibly energy evoked from the frenetic flamenco dancing, and from the unique way that the filmmakers interweave the story of the stage production with the lives of the characters preparing for it. Spellbinding is the only word I can use to describe the experience. This is not 'Bizet's Carmen' by any usual standard. This is not a usual film by any standard. Every nuanced glance, every stomp of the foot, every piece of the music is intertwined so captivatingly that you can't take your eyes off the screen. You don't need to love opera or flamenco(I don't)to be captured, enraptured, enthralled by this film. Subtle and direct; loud and still; One of, if not the best, movies of it's kind, because there are so few like it.