El abuelo (1998)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

José Luis Garci

Writers:

José Luis Garci (writer)
Benito Pérez Galdós (novel)

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After his son dies, an elderly man comes back to Spain from the US and hopes to find out which of his granddaughters is true, and which one is bastard.

Plot Keywords:

Grandchild | Daughter In Law | Suicidal Thoughts | Infidelity | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Fernando Fernán Gómez	...	Don Rodrigo de Arista Potestad
Rafael Alonso	...	Don Pío Coronado
Cayetana Guillén Cuervo	...	Doña Lucrecia Richmond
Agustín González	...	Senén Corchado
Cristina Cruz	...	Dolly
Alicia Rozas	...	Nelly
Fernando Guillén	...	Alcalde de Jerusa
Francisco Piquer	...	Prior de Zaratay
María Massip	...	Gregoria
José Caride	...	Venancio
Francisco Algora	...	Don Carmelo
Emma Cohen	...	Vicenta, la alcaldesa
Juan Calot	...	Don Salvador, médico
Concha Gómez Conde	...	Doña Consuelito
Nuria Rodríguez	...	Criada

Also Known As:

The Grandfather (Canada: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

151 min | Argentina:147 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Spain:T | USA:PG | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Acantilado de Puerta de Viriago, Asturias, Spain

Company:

Radio Televisión Española (RTVE)

Movie Connections:

Version of Adulterio (1945)

Soundtrack:

Gymnopédie

Beautiful filming accompanies sensitive interpretations

My immediate impression after seeing this film for the first time (and any really good film needs to be seen at least twice) was that at last here was another little masterpiece to add to the very limited cinematographical treasure troves produced by Spain in the last quarter of a century. 'El Abuelo' stands very well alongside `El Sur' (1982) and `Los Santos Inocentes' (1984), these two also being adapted from novels. I cannot help thinking that Garci is at his best when with the help of Valcárcel he adapts a story from real Spanish literature. As perhaps the most prestigious and prize-winning Spanish director (we shall pass over Almodóvar and his commercially orientated light entertainment), having won at Hollywood, Montreal, and Spain's own Goya prize several times, he has produced some memorable films and TV series (Historias del Otro Lado - Stories from the Other Side), mostly because he has that acute eye for capturing every detail as he shoots his scenes. He knows how to use his actors, and never better than in `El Abuelo'. The leading actors bring sincere interpretations, full of feeling, adding beauty to the situations being developed. The film is also a little tribute to Rafael Alonso, who died without seeing the finished film: his life ended with the hugely memorable part of an unpresuming private home teacher to the two little girls - Dolly and Nelly - one of whom is not really Don Rodrigo's granddaughter. Fernán Gómez is of course perfect, as he has been in most of his films in recent years, and Agustín González has at last played his best rôle in the whole of his acting career. Don Rodrigo returns from the Americas where he lost a fortune, to find out which of the two girls was due to his daughter-in-law's unfaithfulness. The novel itself is `costumbrista' as is also the novel by Concha Espina, `El Junco', which deals with a similar situation. Manuel Balboa once again has been exquisite in choosing his music and I must mention the sumptuous photography by Raúl Pérez Cubero, beautifully, lovingly captured in the countryside and around the grand old house, worth any prizes that may be floating around out there.....But I do not believe in prizes: they mostly exist only to perpetuate themselves. `El Abuelo' does not need any prizes - it stands up on its own merits: simply a wonderful film telling a story with simplicity and feeling.