"Lorca, muerte de un poeta" (1987) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

29 August 1988 (Sweden)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Spain | Fascism | Spanish Civil War | Poet

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Nickolas Grace	...	Federico García Lorca (6 episodes, 1987-1988)
Antonio Iranzo	...	Joaquín Arcollas (4 episodes, 1987)
Francisco Jarque	...	Dióscoro Galindo (4 episodes, 1987)
Mario Pardo	...	Francisco Galadí (4 episodes, 1987)
José Villarroel		(4 episodes, 1987)
Javier Dotú	...	Federico (4 episodes, 1987)
Fernando Chinarro	...	Federico García Rodríguez (3 episodes, 1987)
Margarita Lozano	...	Doña Vicenta Lorca (3 episodes, 1987)
María Luisa Ponte	...	Dolores la Colorina (3 episodes, 1987)
Fabiola Toledo	...	La Argentinita (3 episodes, 1987)
Miguel Littin	...	Fernando de los Ríos (3 episodes, 1987)
José Ramos Cantó		(3 episodes, 1987)
Jesús Alcaide		(2 episodes, 1987)
Germán Cobos	...	Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (2 episodes, 1987)
Diana Peñalver	...	Concha García Lorca (2 episodes, 1987)
Manuel Sierra	...	Rafael Martínez Nadal (2 episodes, 1987)
Núria Espert	...	Margarita Xirgu (2 episodes, 1987)
Fernando Valverde	...	Luis Buñuel (2 episodes, 1987)
Ana Leza		(2 episodes, 1987)
Fernando López Veloso	...	Salvador Dalí (2 episodes, 1987)
Máximo Astray		(2 episodes, 1987)
José Luis Barceló		(2 episodes, 1987)
Jesús Fernández		(2 episodes, 1987)
Tony Fuentes		(2 episodes, 1987)
María Teresa Cortés		(2 episodes, 1987)
Antonio Chamorro		(2 episodes, 1987)
Laura Culat		(2 episodes, 1987)
Ana Frau	...	Actriz (2 episodes, 1987)
Alberto de Miguel	...	Francisco García Lorca (2 episodes, 1987)
Julián Navarro	...	Cipriano Rivas (2 episodes, 1987)
Antonio Valverde		(2 episodes, 1987)
César Varona		(2 episodes, 1987)
Carlos Cruz	...	Cantaor (2 episodes, 1987)
Francisco M. Díaz	...	Guitarrista (2 episodes, 1987)

Runtime:

118 min | Spain:240 min (6 episodes)

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

Greece:K

Company:

Acción Films

Interesting but overlong bio-pic of a great poet/playwright

This six-part miniseries mixes docudrama with documentary footage to trace the life of Spanish poet/playwright/activist Federico Garcia Lorca, who was executed in 1936 by supporters of the future dictator, General Franco, during Spain's Civil War.

Each episode opens with his execution by firing squad, and then flashes back to a different era of his life and Spain's political history. It traces his career, his friendship with such luminary figures as Salvador Dali, and his relationship with his family.

In an unusual move, the Spanish TV network cast British actor Nickolas Grace in the title role. At the time, he was best known in Spain for his performance in the British miniseries "Brideshead Revisited." In "Lorca," he acted his dialog in English (while everyone around him acted in Spanish), and recited Lorca's verse in British-accented Spanish. Then all of his speeches were dubbed by a Spanish actor. Strangely, the dubbing of the scenes that he acted in English works far better than the scenes where he recites Lorca in Spanish.

Grace's casting ensured the show's sale to British and American television, where it was seen under the title "Lorca: Death of a Poet."

The pacing is a bit slow at spots, and the first three or four chapters are bit too episodic. But it's worth a look for anyone interested in this dark period of Spain's history and the life of a great artist.

Of particular interest are the final two episodes, which depict the military takeover of Spain and the bloodshed that attended the Civil War.