Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)
Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Release Date:

11 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A woman's lover leaves her, and she tries to contact him to find out why he's left. She confronts his wife and son...

Plot Keywords:

Sleeping Pill | Burning Bed | Betrayal | Nervous Breakdown | Womanizer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 20 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Carmen Maura	...	Pepa
Antonio Banderas	...	Carlos
Julieta Serrano	...	Lucía
María Barranco	...	Candela
Rossy de Palma	...	Marisa
Kiti Manver	...	Paulina Morales
Guillermo Montesinos	...	Taxista
Chus Lampreave	...	Portera Testiga de Jehová
Eduardo Calvo	...	Padre de Lucía (as Yayo Calvo)
Loles León	...	Secretaria
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Policía I (as Angel de Andrés-López)
Fernando Guillén	...	Iván
Juan Lombardero	...	Germán
José Antonio Navarro	...	Policía II
Ana Leza	...	Ana

Also Known As:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (USA)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Estudios Barajas, Madrid, Spain

Company:

El Deseo S.A.

Trivia:

Victoria Abril turned down the role of 'Candela'

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Pepa pushes the baggage cart at Lucia and it moves with a great deal of speed. However, in the next shot, it's obvious that the cart barely hits her, yet she falls as if it did.

Quotes:

PolicÌa I: What's going on?
Pepa: Nothing. Just discussing the lady's dress.
Candela: [in tears] It's awful!
Carlos: It's only a dress.
Candela: But it's awful!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Goldfish Memory (2003)

Soundtrack:

Puro teatro

Outstanding in Spanish, however...

I have seen several Almodovar films and this is far and away my favorite. The acting is marvelous in the original Spanish, especially Maria Barranco as Candela, and a young Antonio Banderas in his pre-US fame days. However, if you obtain the DVD version of this movie, resist the temptation to use the English-dubbed soundtrack. Sadly, the English version is just not funny. The readings are flat and uninspired, and the translation is not always accurate; too literal in some cases, just missing the point in others. It appears that the English dialog was written more for a close match with the lip movements than for precise translation. Instead, use the Castilian Spanish audio track and savor the beautiful performances. If you don't understand the language, read the English subtitles, which are more appropriately translated, and still enjoy the original.