The subject matter of this movie couldn't be anymore serious. This movie failed because the studio advertised this as a passionate movie between Antonio and Jennifer. The poster and box cover for the movie shows them engaged, half naked in the middle of an act of love. In the first 10 minutes of the movie, we see some kind of a foreplay situation between Jennifer and her cousin / lover. Then, the climax of the movie has nothing to do with the investigation they had been on. The movie peeks when both Antonio and Jennifer make love. While the one scene has been said to be the only good part of the movie, I must agree that the studios allowed the audience to believe that this movie was going to be packed with sex, sex, nudity, and more sex. You can't sell a box of cereal with a naked woman on the cover and then have the cereal filled with little marsh mellow religious figures of Christ and Saint Peter and Paul. Much like the cereal, the movie has its moments but fails to hold an audience because everybody is waiting for the sex scene. The movie tries to get serious but we are overwhelmed by the eye candy that is Jennifer and Antonio that we can't wait for the passion to take over.
18 Reviews
Lovely Music and Photography
B2425 March 2006
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.
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.
Disjointed to say the least
joncha18 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
To say that this movie is disjointed is an understatement. It seems to have been spliced together with many (one would hope) useful scenes left on the cutting room floor. The dialog is awkward, with Banderas' accented English and Connelly's fake version of the same.(The Stafania Sandrellis character seems wasted and it's interesting to compare her role here with "The Nymph" which was supposedly made or released in the same year (1996). She seems like two completely different persons (actors) in the two films. It's interesting to learn that she speaks English--unless her lines were dubbed.) There are references to the tyranny of the regime but we don't see exactly how that affected the lives of most people -- only bizarre situations that couldn't have been commonplace. The Connelly character talks about getting past the censors but it's not made clear how this worked. Was everything in Chile submitted to censors at the time? Talk about a big government bureaucracy! And the motivations of the characters are never really developed. What clue did we have that Connelly's cousin was really a good guy underneath his facist exterior? Was the Cardinal an appeaser or a crusader? And what's with the sex scene. Does Banderas have a clause in his contract that he gets to show his tush in every film? This looked like it was added after audiences said they wanted to see more heat--especially after the earlier teaser scene between Connelly's character and her cousin, where the camera conveniently cut off at critical angles and the scene itself ended abruptly with whatever was going to happen left up to the viewers imagination.
...The movie could have been...
Candyrica16 May 2002
The previous comment sounded to me like they weren't criticizing the movie. Sounded more like they were bashing the Country and the author...I found it was a good movie. I've seen better, but it's not at the bottom of my list, and neither is The House Of The Spirits. Of Love and Shadows is a book that explains in the background what was going on politically in Chile and it was a way to kind of get it out in the open - I don't know...create an awareness. I admit, it must be difficult to translate an amazing novel into a movie and have it come out the same. I find that Isabel Allende's books are absolutely fabulous!! She is a great story teller. And for this particular one, I also think you may need to have a bit more knowledge of what had happened in Chile to have a better understanding of what the story is about. The Movie - I enjoyed it...it deserves to be seen at least once, but...maybe..to get a better sense of what it's all about, it's best to read the book first! Maybe if this film was shot in Chile it would have been different using Chilean Actors that do an amazing job anyway. The movie may have been better. But I am glad that Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly decided to be a part of this movie. Both are great actors that tried to give the movie feeling...
A disappointing follow up to a fine novel
Grunge_Tutu21 May 2006
Having read the novel, I was curious to see how it would be made into a film. I had high hopes, because the book was extremely poignant and well-written. However, these hopes were dashed within the first five minutes of this truly awful movie.
Now, I'm a fan of both Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly. I think they're great actors. However, Of Love and Shadows brought out the worst in both. The acting was hideous and essentially consisted of Jennifer Connelly using an awful accent while making bedroom eyes at Antionio Banderas, who did the same (but with a much better accent).
Aside from the terrible performances, the real flaw of this film was that it tried to incorporate too much of the book into too small a time frame. There is a good deal of fantastic material in the book, but there is simply too much to be done on screen. What seems to have happened is that the makes didn't exactly realize this and consequently tried to hold on to too many secondary characters and too many story lines. The result was less than satisfactory. I was entirely convinced that anyone who hadn't read the book before seeing the movie would have been completely lost.
In short, I seriously pity Isabel Allende for this horribly botched movie which is entirely unrepresentative of the excellent book she wrote. Do not watch this movie. Read the book.
Now, I'm a fan of both Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly. I think they're great actors. However, Of Love and Shadows brought out the worst in both. The acting was hideous and essentially consisted of Jennifer Connelly using an awful accent while making bedroom eyes at Antionio Banderas, who did the same (but with a much better accent).
Aside from the terrible performances, the real flaw of this film was that it tried to incorporate too much of the book into too small a time frame. There is a good deal of fantastic material in the book, but there is simply too much to be done on screen. What seems to have happened is that the makes didn't exactly realize this and consequently tried to hold on to too many secondary characters and too many story lines. The result was less than satisfactory. I was entirely convinced that anyone who hadn't read the book before seeing the movie would have been completely lost.
In short, I seriously pity Isabel Allende for this horribly botched movie which is entirely unrepresentative of the excellent book she wrote. Do not watch this movie. Read the book.
Downright annoying
Dr_Cool14 February 2003
This movie is not only bad but also downright annoying. Acting is weak and the characters are not convincing. You don't need to have lived in a Latin American country under dictatorship to notice the caricatural overplaying of roles. And it's not because the story is so obviously biased towards the leftist cause in Latin America (totally expected, being based on a book by Isabel Allende): Costa-Gavras was able to make good movies in spite of ideology. The funniest thing however is that the movie in reality, and unintentionally, ends up showing a face of Latin-American politics that is extremely depressing: the left and the right are both so empty-headed that not only you're incapable of feeling any sympathy for them, but even worse, it makes you believe that now you finally understood why Latin-American countries have so much trouble governing themselves. It's a really sad movie.
Great political movie..not so great love story
roysid23 May 2006
If you don't go by the poster of the movie(which portrayed it to be a passionate love story), you'd enjoy the movie.
I haven't read the novel and I was engrossed very quickly with what was shown in the movie. The year is 1973 and Chile has been taken over by military coup. An woman talks to Francesco(a phychiatrist) about the nightmares she is having after military has tortured her and her husband. Her voice breaks as she says "one after another..again and again" Irene (Connelly) belongs to the upper class, she is innocent, engaged to her cousin, a military captain since childhood. She also publishes a magazine. She employed Francesco(Banderas) who is now out of job as the photographer. Francesco and his family are totally against the human rights violation that occurs. His brother is a priest in church who tries to prevent things.
When the magazine crew went to interview Evangelina, a magical woman, military comes and interferes. Evangelina with superhuman strength picks up military commander Ramirez and throws him away. They left. Shortly after, Evangelina is taken by military and she has disappeared.
Irene and Francesco tried to find out where Evangelina is. In the process, their lives and others take a complete turn-oil. And expectedly they fall in love.
The scenes of military regime is very well depicted. The arrogance of their police, the fear among civilians are very real and touching. Of memorable scenes are Evangelina's friend in military who is torn between his job needs and the human ways.
I haven't read the novel and I was engrossed very quickly with what was shown in the movie. The year is 1973 and Chile has been taken over by military coup. An woman talks to Francesco(a phychiatrist) about the nightmares she is having after military has tortured her and her husband. Her voice breaks as she says "one after another..again and again" Irene (Connelly) belongs to the upper class, she is innocent, engaged to her cousin, a military captain since childhood. She also publishes a magazine. She employed Francesco(Banderas) who is now out of job as the photographer. Francesco and his family are totally against the human rights violation that occurs. His brother is a priest in church who tries to prevent things.
When the magazine crew went to interview Evangelina, a magical woman, military comes and interferes. Evangelina with superhuman strength picks up military commander Ramirez and throws him away. They left. Shortly after, Evangelina is taken by military and she has disappeared.
Irene and Francesco tried to find out where Evangelina is. In the process, their lives and others take a complete turn-oil. And expectedly they fall in love.
The scenes of military regime is very well depicted. The arrogance of their police, the fear among civilians are very real and touching. Of memorable scenes are Evangelina's friend in military who is torn between his job needs and the human ways.
A good movie
diogo2322 June 2002
Isabel Allende is not the greatest writer of all time, still she has a magic touch, of that there is no doubt..A woman that has fought all of her life, gives us the pleasure to enjoy her experience in this beautiful story (as are all of her stories), that brings together two great actors (Antonio and Jennifer), and almost makes us want to be part of it,despite the danger..these were the true heroes of our time, i think that's what she's really stating, by using simplicity as a way of being, a way of life, and showing us that it can also be beautiful.. A true love story.
Beautiful film & Subject matter
dottow23 March 2002
This was a great film!
Granted, the acting may not be tip-top and the casting may have its flaws, but I thought that this was a great film, and it's about time we have more films bring to life the atrocities that occurred in Chile. By acquiring more knowledge about the world around us, we can try to ensure that we don't repeat the same mistakes over and over.
I really thought the film was great!
Granted, the acting may not be tip-top and the casting may have its flaws, but I thought that this was a great film, and it's about time we have more films bring to life the atrocities that occurred in Chile. By acquiring more knowledge about the world around us, we can try to ensure that we don't repeat the same mistakes over and over.
I really thought the film was great!
Dark tale of 1970's Chile
inkblot1113 August 2003
Irene (Jennifer Connelly) is a daughter of privilege in 1970's Chile. It is a time of government repression and citizens of Chile are turning up missing, never to be found. Working as a magazine writer, Irene meets photographer Francisco (Antonio Banderas). Francisco is a passionate young man with a dangerous secret: he is working for an underground movement investigating the government's actions. Although Irene is engaged to a man in the military, she falls in love with Francisco and joins him in his underground activities. Will they be able to expose the misdeeds of the government and remain alive?
This movie is based on a novel by Chilean-born author Isabel Allende. Her political views are to the left; yet, this film is not totally biased. Real events occured under Chilean leader Pinochet, who eventually was deposed. This movie, therefore, offers a glimpse into the horrific tortures and deaths at the hands of the Chilean government in the seventies. Not as exciting as it could be, the film nevertheless provides enough drama and pathos to touch the hearts of its viewers. Connelly and Banderas give fine performances that resonate. Recommended for fans of the two leads as well as those who admire films with a political agenda.
This movie is based on a novel by Chilean-born author Isabel Allende. Her political views are to the left; yet, this film is not totally biased. Real events occured under Chilean leader Pinochet, who eventually was deposed. This movie, therefore, offers a glimpse into the horrific tortures and deaths at the hands of the Chilean government in the seventies. Not as exciting as it could be, the film nevertheless provides enough drama and pathos to touch the hearts of its viewers. Connelly and Banderas give fine performances that resonate. Recommended for fans of the two leads as well as those who admire films with a political agenda.
Excellent movie version of a superb writer
williamwd717 January 2005
This is very good film, accurate depiction of historical events of this South American country. A must see. Writer Isabel Allende has done a fantastic recount of many facts and events of the Dictatorship that plagued this country. Jennifer's part is played in a very natural, and sexy portrait, of the fresh, sexy, and Latin American spirit of people, with ideals, and lust for life and freedom. Antonio Banderas, still not a superstar, plays the Dr, and new photographer, with convictions. He does a great job on this film, and is nice to see a still not Hollywood viced acting, and superstar status actor, doing a pretty good job. The director of photography captures the spirit of a time and era, where the air was thick, and people were afraid. The "ejercito" was omnipresent at every moment, in and out of people's life's. A must see film, for lovers of foreign films, and to followers of Latin American History.
Jenny, why did you get into this mess???
JCfan-317 June 1999
Warning: Spoilers
Jennifer Conelly is not only beautiful, but a great actress. The problem is, she gets into appearing in bad films, with some exceptions. This is no exception. Filmed in my country, and based on one of my most terrible experiences as a reader, Isabel Allende's novel, this film is truly awful. The writing and direction is absolutely inept (if you don't believe me, see Doña Barbara, Kaplan's second film), the dubbing is atrocious, and the actors are miscast (and there's Banderas)and the overall film is a great piece of bad filmmaking. But at least it's not the worst film of all time, as House of the Spirits is, but it's still on my bottom 10. Oh, and the film is set in Chile, but in the scene were Jenny gets shot, you can see the "Obelisco", one of Buenos Aires' landmarks.
A masterpiece !
Frozensuricate22 October 2021
It is very difficult actually to make this kind of movie. Jennifer with Antonio are unique. I appreciate very much the poster of this great film. No disgusting as a critic above pretends. It is not the cinema at its best perhaps. But, in the same time,it is honest. And I give ten for that reason. Jennifer is absolutely gorgeous, beautiful and when she is in the arms of Antonio, their love is true. A great romance. But how many students and young peuple have been killed in South America, for nothing, for some words, for few sentences... ? This kind of cinema is necessary. And more today than before !
Military dictatorship in 1973 Chile, exposing crimes while making love.
TxMike28 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
In this movie a young (24) Jennifer Connelly plays a Spanish speaking lady, Irene, in Chile, working as a magazine reporter, during the time when the country was being ruled by a military dictatorship. A perpetual "state of emergency" has been declared, and opposition are hunted down, killed, and the bodies hidden. Irene has been engaged since they were children to her cousin, Gustavo. While they carry on erotically like young lovers anywhere, there does not appear to be the mystery and passion of "discovered" love. Along comes Irene's discovery, Francisco (Antonio Banderas, 34), trained as a Psychologist but now trying to get a legitimate job as a photographer. Irene hires him.
Francisco and his family, which includes a priest, are out to expose the crimes of the military regime, and is able to get Irene involved in an investigation. Breaking out of her thus-far sheltered life, she is anxious to help get to the bottom of all this, while she is realizing that she doesn't love Gustavo.
SPOILERS. As crimes are being exposed and it becomes known that Irene is involved, she is gunned down in the street, but manages to survive. Military is watching the hospital, but after she has shown some improvement she is sneaked out, she and Francisco manage to stay for 10 days at a spa in the mountains where she can gain strength, and they leave on horseback as the military show up looking for them. They eventually get to Spain, where they live for 15 years, and are able to return to Chile in 1989, after a democracy is restored.
Francisco and his family, which includes a priest, are out to expose the crimes of the military regime, and is able to get Irene involved in an investigation. Breaking out of her thus-far sheltered life, she is anxious to help get to the bottom of all this, while she is realizing that she doesn't love Gustavo.
SPOILERS. As crimes are being exposed and it becomes known that Irene is involved, she is gunned down in the street, but manages to survive. Military is watching the hospital, but after she has shown some improvement she is sneaked out, she and Francisco manage to stay for 10 days at a spa in the mountains where she can gain strength, and they leave on horseback as the military show up looking for them. They eventually get to Spain, where they live for 15 years, and are able to return to Chile in 1989, after a democracy is restored.
# 03 : What a mess South America was ! (web)
lamegabyte3 June 2019
So after a Greek director tells us about Chile coup in « missing », a Chilean actress tells us about El Salvador in « Voces », now we have a Spanish actor back to Chile, bringing along the most delicious American actress, Jennifer Connelly ! I thought it would be a stinker but i was wrong as it's an excellent politic and romance thriller and surely one of the best part for Jennifer ! Unlike a lot of her Hollywood friends, she gets an inspired hand to pick movies that have something to tell : here, it's about liberty, democracy, being dissident and making moral choices. Banderas is also deeply focused and concerned and the production is really well-done. This movie has a real emotional and educative content as it explains why human rights and liberty begin and end in the hands of individuals and not elected or tyrannic representatives.
Maybe this movie isn't a masterpiece...
paulselly6 October 2021
But 5.1 is really ungenerous ... a real shame for those who voted ... or all fascists or all stupid ... better the superheroes right? Better to forget right? Better to put the head under the sand ... because everyone knows who helped Pinochet ... Allende wanted to nationalize the copper mines and Chile is the first world producer .... and "whoever touches the wires dies".
Jenny, where's your taste?
labyrinth6403 August 2002
Seems like any time Jennifer Connelly is offered a film, they always flop, and has no good-looking men (Carrer Opportunities, Heart of Justice, Some Girls, Seven Minuutes in Heaven, The Rocketeer.) So, it was no surprise when she was cast as Irene Beltran, in this semi-depressing film. The real shocker was the poster:could she be showing any more of her self? how disgusting!!! Other shocker: Antonio Banderas, come on, if you're going to have a good movie, you so need to have good actors that can act. Antonio Banderas, can not act, if his life depended on it. That said, let me explain the film. Irene Beltran, (Connelly), is a rich young women that is engaged to her cousin. Meanwhile, her photographer, Francisco Leal, (Banderas), is slowly falling in love with her. And who could blame him. The two uncover a secret, in a mine, soilders have stuffed hundreds of thousands of bodies. This could have been Inventing the Abbotts, (rich girl, poor boy, falling in love with rich girl.) Then, as any perosn who has seen a Jennifer Connelly film would know, the two engage in intercourse. It was the where that was disturbing:in the mine. So, like any love story, people, want the two killed before the story is expsoed to the world. I was quite unsure of what to think about this film, so you be the judge.
Give that movie a break.
eudoxios7521 July 2022
Excellent movie by two great actors. Of Love and Shadows is a story of courage and passion. We don't see such movies anymore. Both Connelly and Banderas do a good job in their roles. Connelly's accent takes some getting used to but thats ok,because I like her as an actress very very much. Banderas, who is very good actor by the way is so good as the revolutionary photographer. I read that this movie has originally been released in Germany in 1994, it took over 2 years for it to find a limited release in the United States. After seeing that Film, of course it's not hard to understand why!!!!!!! Americans, Americans!!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
