The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1996)

Director:

Marcos Zurinaga

Writers (WGA):

Ian Gibson (books)
Marcos Zurinaga (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A journalist (Morales) starts an investigation into the disappearance of famed poet and political agitator, Garcia Lorca (Garcia), who disappeared in the early days of the Spanish Civil War in the the 1930's.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Spanish Civil War | Playwright | Based On Book | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Andy Garcia	...	Lorca
Esai Morales	...	Ricardo
Naím Thomas	...	Young Ricardo
Gonzalo Penche	...	Jorge Aguirre
Teresa José Berganza	...	Mercedes
Eusebio Lázaro	...	Vicente Fernández
Tony Plana	...	Marcos, Lorca's friend
Blanca Pilavin	...	Old Woman in 'Yerma'
Denise Blasor	...	Yerma
Moctesuma Esparza	...	Angry Man (as Moctezuma Esparza)
Gonzalo Menendez	...	Young Man
Miguel Ferrer	...	Centeno
Edward James Olmos	...	Roberto Lozano
James Patrick Stuart	...	Stagehand
Javier Grajeda	...	Juan in 'Yerma'

Also Known As:

Death in Granada (USA)
La desaparición de García Lorca (USA: Spanish title)
Lorca
Muerte en Granada (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody violence and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

142 min | Spain:108 min | USA:114 min

Country:

Spain | France | USA | Puerto Rico

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Granada, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Antena 3 Televisión

Garcia Lorca did a lot to anger the extremists.

Before I had seen "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca", I knew about the Spanish Civil War but had never heard of playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. In that sense, the movie was good to see as it identified who he was and told the story of the detective investigating his murder at the hands of Franco's army. True, the movie probably won't give you any kind of religious experience, but the point is to understand what the Fascists did to their opposition (Garcia Lorca's homosexuality made him a double target). So I recommend it if only to understand that part of Spain's history. Starring Esai Morales, Andy Garcia and Edward James Olmos (happy 60th, Edward!).

Another thing that I recommend is Garcia Lorca's play "Yerma", about a woman and her relationships with various people. When it debuted in Madrid in 1934, some people called it "irreligious" and scornfully called the women lesbians. That just goes to show why Franco and his cronies hated Garcia Lorca so much, and also the tensions that led to the civil war.