La conjura de El Escorial (2008)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Antonio del Real

Writers:

Antonio del Real (writer) and
Manuel Mir (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

5 September 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

16th century ruler King Philip II of Spain maneuvers within a court of deceit and betrayal. |

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jason Isaacs	...	Antonio Pérez
Julia Ormond	...	Princesa de Éboli
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Espinosa
Jordi Mollà	...	Mateo Vázquez
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Escobedo
Juanjo Puigcorbé	...	Felipe II
Blanca Jara	...	Damiana
Fabio Testi	...	Duque de Alba
Rosana Pastor	...	Doña Juana de Coello
Pablo Puyol	...	Insausti
Concha Cuetos	...	Bernardina
Tony Peck	...	Tiépolo
Pilar Bastardés	...	Reina Ana
Pepe Martín	...	Antonio Pazos
José Lifante	...	Criado de Escobedo
Manuel de Blas	...	Fraile Diego de Chaves
Jorge Bosso	...	Padre Morgado
William Miller	...	Rodrigo Manuel de Villena
Antonio Campos	...	Enríquez
Ciro Miró	...	Diego Martínez
Xabier Elorriaga	...	Conde de Chinchón (as Xavier Elorriaga)
Juan Lombardero	...	Conde de Barajas
Bill Holden	...	Duque de Medina Sidonia
Juan Ignacio Ocaña	...	Marqués de los Vélez
Javier Mejía	...	Juan de Austria
Lola Peno	...	Cocinera de Escobedo
Stephen Hughes	...	Armero
José María Sacristán	...	Dueño de Baños Turcos (as José Sacristán)
Malcom Site	...	Bailarín Africano
Carlos García Navarro	...	Fraile Dominicano
Miguel de Grandy	...	Arzobispo Gaspar de Quiroga
Nacho Aldeguer	...	Forjador
José Conde	...	Conde de Melgar
María Tardón	...	Abadesa
Antonio del Real	...	Médico 1
Javier Artiñano	...	Médico 2
Rafael Reaño	...	Perrero 1 (as Rafa Reaño)
Paco Catalá	...	Perrero 2
Eduardo Fedriani	...	Pícaro
David Amón	...	Miguel Bosque
Tomás Sáez	...	Juan de Mesa
Alberto Pereira	...	Ujier
Óscar Corbacho	...	Vendedor de Ropa
Carmelo Blanco	...	Mendigo
Fernando Esteve	...	Moro
Eva Almaya	...	Lavadora 1
Sara Bernardos	...	Lavadora 2
Natalia Domínguez	...	Lavadora 3
Tomás Martín	...	Sargento Mayor
Chema Coloma	...	Muñoz
Fernando Vilches	...	Obispo de Sevilla
León Dávila	...	Alabardero 1
Enricco Fracca	...	Alabardero 2
Juan Ripoll	...	Alabardero 3
Jorge Camba	...	Vigilante
Enrique del Pozo	...	Guardia 1
Antonio Pérez Henares	...	Guardia 2
Juan Antonio Casado	...	Guardia 3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kate Petrie	...	Doña Juana de Coello (voice)

Directed by
Antonio del Real

Writing credits
Antonio del Real		(writer)
Manuel Mir		writer
Juan Antonio Porto		writer
Marta Rivera de la Cruz		writer

Produced by
Maria José Muñoz	....	executive producer
Tony Peck	....	executive producer
Antonio del Real	....	producer
Josef Steinberger	....	producer

Original Music by
Alejandro Vivas

Cinematography by
Carlos Suárez

Film Editing by
Teresa Font

Production Design by
Luis Vallés

Costume Design by
Javier Artiñano

Makeup Department
José Quetglás	....	makeup artist
Blanca Sánchez	....	hair stylist
Nieves Sánchez	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Félix Rodríguez	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicolas Romero Fernandez-Zarza	....	third assistant director
Carmen Torres	....	second second assistant director
Richard Walker	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Aitor Berenguer	....	sound
Jorge Lerner	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alvaro Salgado	....	re-recording mixing assistant
Xavier López Souto	....	sound editor (as Xavier Souto)
Edgar Vidal	....	foley designer

Special Effects by
Reyes Abades	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
David Fernández Girón	....	cgi operator
Javier Sanz	....	animator: Telson

Stunts
Guiomar Alonso	....	stunt double: Julia Ormond
Ricardo Cruz	....	stunt coordinator
Hernan Ortiz	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Álvaro Quiroga	....	stunts
José Antonio Ona Sánchez	....	stunt double: Jurgen prochnow

Camera and Electrical Department
Adrián de la Fuente	....	second assistant camera
Marino Scandurra	....	still photographer

Other crew
Núria Casanueva	....	script supervisor
Mary Kay McCoy	....	dialogue coach
Rivas Garcia Xavier	....	assistant on production

Production Companies

• Mascara Films
• Settima Luna

Distributors

• Sony Pictures (2009) (Spain) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Telson

Also Known As:

The El Escorial Conspiracy (Europe: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

Spain:128 min | Germany:150 min (European Film Market)

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Algarve, Portugal

Company:

Mascara Films

Movie Connections:

References Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Watch it for the intrigue, not the swordplay

The 'conjuration' in the title refers to a real event: the political assassination in Madrid of a high-ranking official in the Spanish court in 1578. A plaque marks the spot today in the exact corner of the street where it happened.

The script begins with the scene of the murder and then takes us back to recount the events leading up to it. There are many characters involved, and although at the beginning it is not clear why we are being introduced to so many, eventually they all find a reason for being there, from a priest who ends up a the centre of the investigation, to a young 'morisca', a half-Moorish girl who is plucked from the streets to serve in a rich house.

The film is not very imaginatively shot and some of the expository dialogue is quite clumsy: some actors seem to be there just to summarise in words what the atmosphere at the time was, which is always a pitfall in historical films. Many actors means many lines of dialogue and this film -not short, about two hours and a quarter long- is full of conversations, often stilted and stagy. There's a lot of standing upright with broody brows with the purpose of looking imposing and serious, in bunches around the king or other important characters. It is not a slow film, however, but it's not a swashbuckler either. In fact, the one time when we are given a good old sword-fight, it goes so lamely clichéd, with stalls of fruit and ceramic bowls being turned upside down in a street market and a couple of unrealistic fight moves, that it feels utterly wrong.

In its favour, the costumes are great and many scenes are shot at El Escorial itself, the palace-cum-monastery where king Phillip II pored over the business of governing the world's leading superpower. Some of the actors are quite good in their roles, and this despite a cast mixing Spanish and foreign stars. I would single out for praise Julia Ormond, who looks not a day younger than her 43 years old. With her ageing beauty, she brings alive one of the most fascinating characters of her time, the eyepatch-wearing princess of Eboli. Joaquim de Almeida is also very good as the vigorous secretary Juan de Escobedo, acting his scenes with much-needed energy. It is a pity, though, that the role of Jason Isaacs, Antonio Pérez, fizzles out somewhat towards the end, when he should be one of the most memorable characters, according to the real story. Juanjo Puigcorbé plays a more ironic and even affable Phillip than the sombre and adust quasi-monk we have seen in other portrayals. And I personally took a liking to Jürgen Prochnow's character, a local 'alguacil' (sheriff) who becomes involved in the matter both through his job and his private life.

The question at the heart of the film is: did King Phillip II order the dismissal of one of his own officials? This has been much debated by historians, and the evidence is not conclusive. It may have been in his favour because of political rivalries, but the public backlash would have been uncomfortable (as it in fact was), even for a monarch as self-assured and with so great a grip on power as he happened to be. This matter is one of the central charges against him laid out by the so-called 'Leyenda negra' (Black legend), with which other European rulers and political enemies sought to discredit him in public, in particular in the Netherlands and Britain. Whether the film takes a stance on it or not, you will have to see it.