Madregilda (1993)

Director:

Francisco Regueiro

Writers:

Ángel Fernández Santos (writer)
Francisco Regueiro (writer)

Release Date:

1 October 1993 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Francisco Franco | Post War | Francisco Franco's Double | Female Nudity

Awards:

8 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

José Sacristán	...	Longinos
Juan Echanove	...	Francisco Franco
Barbara Auer	...	Ángeles
Kamel Cherif	...	Hauma
Fernando Rey	...	Nicolás Franco
Juan Luis Galiardo	...	Legionnaire
Coque Malla	...	Soldier from Cangas
Antonio Gamero	...	Priest
Hark Bohm	...	Albarino
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Manuel Alexandre	...	Four Eyes
Manuel Amat	...	Tullido
Gumersindo Andrés
Lina Canalejas	...	Grandmother
José María Cañete
Paco Catalá
Rafael Díaz	...	Cold Dick
Ramón Goyanes
María Massip	...	Ángeles (voice: Spanish version)
Kino Pueyo
Antonio Requena
Sandra Rodríguez	...	Nazario
Tina Sáinz
Miguel Valcárcel
Felipe Vélez

Also Known As:

Madre Gilda (Germany)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Spain | Germany | France

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

Spain:T

Company:

Gémini Films

Movie Connections:

References Gilda (1946)

If you miss this flick, don´t worry. There´s nothing to loose.

If you miss this flick, don´t worry. There´s nothing to loose.

This is a movie that sips its inspiration from the same fountain that director Emir Kusturica drank when the movie `Underground' (1995) was made. It´s a surrealistic flick with an impoverished artistic vein.

In the beginning it looks a lot like `Hope and Glory'(1987) by John Boorman, tough the other flick is MUCH better, as the story follows the steps of a young lad in a war-plagued Spain during the General Franco regime. All of a sudden the story changes, as if another somebody had changed a TV channel while you were watching it. The movie now depicts an insane, resentful, incompliant man, who happens to be one of the supporters of the totalitarian regime, as a member of the Military. The portrait of this man could be defined as a cry against totalitarian regimes, no matter what name they get. This man is also the father of the boy of the beginning of the movie, and the killer of her mother, in a jealously frenzy. There´s another subplot (is there a main plot in this?) involving the imaginary relation between the boy and his mother, but the scenes are interwoven in the Frankenstein way. The overall impression that this movie leaves on the viewer is that this could have been a good flick if a better director conducted the work of filmmaking.

I must be honest and tell that I had a hard time just staying awake, thanks to dull characters and dark photography.