Reviews & Ratings for
The Age of Beauty More at IMDbPro »Belle epoque (original title)

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Index

43 reviews in total

---

19 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A Simple, Delightful Film, 24 September 1999
Author: DanB-4 from Canada

Belle Epoque is a light, wistful romantic comedy, easy to watch, and easier to love. It is set in glorious pre-Franco Spain and is as beautifully filmed as it is written and acted.

The story entails (in a nutshell) a young army deserter who befriends an older man who is an artist and a self-proclaimed anarchist. The old man has four beautiful daughters and film carries you along as our young hero falls in love with each in order.

Belle Epoque is one of those rare gems that does not stray from its purpose - to be a celebration of love and romance and comic tale of a young soldier controlled by his libido. No violence, car chase scenes, drippy pre-packaged morality plays - just plain fun.

If you have not tried watching a sub-titled movie or have had little exposure to foreign films, start here. Belle Epoque is the best film I have seen out of Spain and an all-time personal favourite.

***1/2 out of ****.

---

17 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Sexual & Innocent, 14 January 2004
Author: caspian1978 from Boston, MA

The plot, this is a movie about a straggler that is taken in by a local Spanish elder who happens to have 4 very beautiful and very single daughters. In the next hour, the straggler ends up having relations with all four daughters. The side story of the Spanish civil war and the relationship between the 4 sisters and their parents is simple background to the main plot of sexual desire and the tension that becomes to obvious to hide. A beautiful cast of people, the ending is somewhat sad, but true. A nice film, and surprisingly, no nudity? Still, it is a nice "sexy" film.

---

18 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
Comic cinema at its best, 4 September 1998

Author: Jonathan Farrugia (jonathan_rob@yahoo.com) from Mqabba, Malta

Belle Epoque is one of those movies you don't see every weekend at the theatre. It is a film set in a certain age (in this case: Spain during the times of the civil war), where the age itself is not very important, but it effects the way the story evolves. The best thing of all in this film is the acting and the comedy. The farce is excellent - hardly ever seen a film with such intelligent humourism. The first time I saw the film was in Spanish and I laughed my guts out (even though I do not know Spanish a lot ). The story too is not too complicated and at the same time it is not at all banal. The highlight of the film, in my opinion, is when the wife of Manolo goes to visit him and starts singing an aria from some opera. Some of the comic highlights of this movie are when Rojio is asked to try her mother-in-law -to-be's wedding dress and when Juanito enters her bed. The best quote from the film is Clara's: "A Woman cannot stay without a man, especially at night." Anyway, just about everything about this movie is great. Well, in short, WATCH IT

---

13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Funny and erotic film, 9 February 2004

Author: rosscinema (rosscinema@comcast.net) from Oceanside, Ca.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is one of those beautiful and erotic films that only seem to come out of Europe and even though the main story sounds whimsical it actually has some serious overtones if you look at it closely. Story takes place in Spain in 1931 and the film starts off with an Army deserter named Fernando (Jorge Sanz) who ends up at the villa of an artist named Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez). Manolo is in his sixties and he and Fernando quickly become friends but after spending a few nights together Fernando declares that he needs to leave. But Manolo's four daughters show up the same day and Fernando quickly changes his mind after meeting them.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Fernando gets to know each daughter intimately one by one and the first encounter is with Violeta (Ariadna Gil) but she turns out to be a lesbian. After that Fernando has a brief romp in bed with Rocio (Maribel Verdu) but she still plans on marrying a young man who has been courting her for some time. Clara (Miriam Diaz Aroca) is a widow but after Fernando attempts to kiss her he falls into the river and almost drowns. Clara helps him out and they end up making love by the shore but later he catches cold from the water and gets sick. The fourth daughter is Luz (Penelope Cruz) and she is the youngest and still a virgin. She is in love with Fernando and it infuriates her to watch him go from one sister to another.

This film is directed by Fernando Trueba and his influences are very evident. The humor in this film is reminiscent of both Luis Bunuel and Billy Wilder but this is easily more erotic than anything those two filmmakers ever directed. One of the things that is interesting about this story is that Manolo is an agnostic and doesn't care much about the politics that are plaguing his country. Once Fernando enters the home of this man it seems like everything that is taking place around them is inconsequential. Manolo's villa is a world all by itself where innocence and sexuality are accepted as just another day. Even though this is a comedy the story does have some serious elements about it and one of them involves the newly created Spanish Republic that would not last. The last scene in the film leaves the viewer with something to think about as Manolo says goodbye to both his daughter Luz and Fernando. Manolo's face shows that a definite change has taken place and even bigger ones will arrive in the future. These little moments seem to make this film more than just a comedy and it suggests that all that has taken place is really a metaphor for more serious matters. The performances are all solid and Gomez as Manolo has all the charm that Philippe Noiret displayed in "Cinema Paradiso". Even though most of the roles are played for comedy the film is benefited by a heartfelt and believable performance by Cruz. Her angst comes across very clear and she gives this film an air of realism that all of us can identify with. Very endearing film that has more to offer than the main story would allow you to believe.

---

14 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Que belle pelicula, 19 May 2002
Author: Pete Davis from Arkansas

Wow, what a terrific movie. I didn't expect much. I'm watching the end at 4:40am in the morning, and wondering why I haven't seen this movie before. It has something that you'll only find in a Spanish film. A type of humor that is missing in American movies, or maybe, just doesn't work in English. I don't know. All I know is that the movie is tremendously humorous. The actors are all fantastic. Penelope Cruz is, well, Penelope Cruz, but otherwise the movie is wonderful. DO NOT MISS IT.

---

10 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Very pointedly funny and refreshing, 14 January 2001

Author: Mitch-38 from Houston, Texas

Comical (farce at times), deeply human movie about an army deserter who meets up with a kindly, old, artistic gent who offers him refuge. The deserter is packed up and ready to go, until the artist's four beautiful daughters arrive. This sets in motion a plot that will keep you laughing, dialogue that will keep you thinking and characters that will keep you entertained. The humor is not forced and the chuckle is at life's absurdities, politics, most of all, human nature. Momma's entrance into the story is unique and melodic, to say the least. The movie is kind of kooky and not a by-the-numbers flick, and a satisfying watch. Sidebar: It did get the Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film.

---

10 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Indescribably delicious, 25 September 2002

Author: George Parker from Orange County, CA USA

"Belle Epoque" is a light-hearted comedy romp which tells of the goings-on at a Spanish villa (circa 1931) involving a patriarch, his four beautiful and amorous daughters, and a wayward young man who can't say "no". Fanciful, warm, fun, and sexy, this Oscar winning film flows like honey as it aims for the heart, not the crotch or head, and hits the mark. Most likely to be appreciated by more seasoned viewers with an interest in Europics. (A-)

Note - This film has considerable dialogue making for significant subtitle reading for non-Spanish speakers.

---

7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Charming, sexy, oddball and funny romantic comedy, with dark backdrop, 13 February 2005

Author: julian_west from Berkeley, California

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Charming, sexy, oddball and funny romantic comedy, though with a dark backdrop.

In pre-Franco Spain, a sweet young man, a carefree pacifistic, deserts the army. Wandering about the countryside, he's welcomed into the home of the well-off older gentleman, who's eager for a friend.

Everything changes when the old man's 4 beautiful daughters arrive! What follows is a charming summer romance for the deserter, who sits smilingly on the sidelines as the four girls literally fight for his attentions.

Minor characters, like the nerdy suitor of one of the girls, or the older man's opera-singing wife, add a mostly charming, wacky quality.

---

10 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Very clever bedroom farce, 27 March 1999

Author: Apollo-14 from Athens, Greece

A man being seduced by four beautiful sisters; no other comment should be necessary. But this movie has excellent character development, funny dialogues, beautiful cinematography and an irresistible overall charm. Although this movie might be more enjoyable to guys (like me), I don't think any woman would find it offensive at all. It's a very enjoyable movie

---

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Lovely film is like an onion, 20 March 2003
Author: icknay (nicholasengel@charter.net)

Belle Epoque has many layers. At it's core is a romance which is surrounded and disguised by a classic sex farce that is itself enveloped by a philosophical tale all wrapped up in a bittersweet historical setting. Spain is, as throughout it's history, in a political struggle. In this case, a battle between the dying monarchy and the emergent republic which is,as these things go, a mild one leaving most Spaniards to enjoy their lives during this "Belle Epoque". Those familiar with it's history know that this is the short calm before the storm of the Spanish Civil War in which the Republic is replaced by the Fascist dictatorship of Franco through a bloody war. My favorite setpiece is the dance where Violeta wears Fernando's uniform and dresses him in a ball gown and wig; the rest must be seen to be believed! A lovely film! And why the devil isn't it on DVD!?

---

---

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Add another review

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Parents Guide	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user reviews	Your vote history