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Carla's Song (1996)

 -  Drama | Romance | War  -  15 May 1997 (USA)
6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 1,853 users  
Reviews: 14 user | 17 critic

1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her ... See full summary »

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Title: Carla's Song (1996)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
George Lennox
Oyanka Cabezas ...
Carla
...
Bradley
Salvador Espinoza ...
Rafael
Louise Goodall ...
Maureen
Richard Loza ...
Antonio
...
Sammy
Subash Singh Pall ...
Victor
Stewart Preston ...
McGurk
Margaret McAdam ...
George's Mother
Pamela Turner ...
Eileen
Greg Friel ...
Keyboard Player
Anne Marie Timoney ...
Warden
Andy Townsley ...
Taxi Driver
Alicia Devine ...
Hospital Sister
Edit

Storyline

1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her family dispersed; she's suicidal. George takes her to Nicaragua to find out what has happened to them and to help her face her past. Once home, Carla's nightmarish memories take over, and Carla and George are thrown into the thick of the US war against the Sandinistas. A mystery develops over where Carla's boyfriend is, and the key to his whereabouts may be Carla's friend Bradley, a bitter American aid worker. She finds her family, the Contras attack, and she and the Scot face their choices. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

bus driver | love | bus | contras | nicaraguan | See more »

Taglines:

A dream called freedom. A nightmare called Nicaragua.

Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

Certificate:

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Details

Country:

| |

Language:

|

Release Date:

15 May 1997 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A Canção de Carla  »

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 60,006,724 (Spain)
 »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

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Color:

(Metrocolor)
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Carlyle learned to drive a bus for his part in the film. See more »

Connections

References The Magnificent Seven (1960) See more »

Soundtracks

"Your Song"
(uncredited)
Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Heard during the bar scene in Glasgow
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Rudie Can't Fail
30 October 2010 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

In CARLA'S SONG, Ken Loach focuses his brand of UK social realism on The Contras and Sandinistas. The film recounts the story of a Scottish bus driver, played by Robert Carlyle, who falls in love with a beautiful woman from Nicaragua. She has been physically and psychically wounded in the revolutionary conflict of that country, and they both journey to Nicaragua in an attempt put her life back together. At face value, this seems like a weak or far fetched premise for a film, yet CARLA'S SONG demonstrates a very real and intense chemistry between the two lovers. Robert Carlyle is most convincing with his extemporaneous ad libs and off-hand comments, and they really added a sincere warmth to his character. However, subtitles were desperately needed for the Spanish speaking parts of the film, and a large chunk of the Scottish dialog was nearly uninterpretable. Overall, CARLA'S SONG renders an accurate portrait of 1980's working poor in Scotland, and a realistic view of the Sandinista Freedom Fighters as seen through the prism of a world class love affair.


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The name of the song? nikos_k_2
Where are the subtitles? magnumco
Sobre el cine nicaraguense... ricardo-zambrana
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