Of Love and Shadows (1994)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Betty Kaplan

Writers (WGA):

Isabel Allende (book)
Donald Freed (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Surrounded by danger, they'll risk everything for freedom!

Plot:

Irene (Jennifer Connely) is a magazine editor living under the shadow of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile...

Plot Keywords:

Shirtless Male Bondage | Torture | Male Nudity | Female Nudity | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Antonio Banderas	...	Francisco
Jennifer Connelly	...	Irene
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Beatriz
Diego Wallraff	...	José
Camilo Gallardo	...	Gustavo
Patricio Contreras	...	Mario
Jorge Rivera López	...	Prof. Leal
Angela Ragno	...	Hilda Leal
Alejandro Toccalino	...	Guard at Roadblock
Alfredo Martín	...	Surgeon
Ana Leza	...	Evangelina
Carmen Renard	...	The Rich Widow
Cesar Parlani	...	Reverend
Claudio Ciacci	...	Cmdte. Ramírez
Daniel Alvarado	...	Freedom Fighter

Also Known As:

De amor y de sombras (Argentina)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of strong sexuality, and for some violence.

Runtime:

USA:103 min

Country:

Argentina | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Spain:13 | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Aleph Producciones S.A.

Quotes:

Irene: Good night, Chile.

Soundtrack:

Of Love and Shadows

Lovely Music and Photography

But not much else. As a story, it is something of a docudrama -- part history and part love story. The historical part must be taken for granted, as the author maintains high credentials as a witness. The love story is just so-so, however -- predictable and depending for its attractiveness on a good deal of gratuitous nudity. We see here rather more of Antonio Banderas than is probably necessary. Ditto the Chilean army officer.

The main weakness of the film is that it is not presented in Spanish with English subtitles. To have Spanish-speaking actors mouthing English is extremely distracting, and to my mind unforgivable in view of the locale and the facts of its production. Jennifer could surely have been taught to fake a little Español with some artful dubbing later on.

Still, one has to appreciate the scenery and the score, played apparently by a full symphony orchestra somewhere in Bratislava or the like. As a travelogue it succeeds admirably, even if it is on the sunrise side of the Andes and not the other way round.