Long Live Death (1971)

At the end of the Spanish civil war, Fando, a boy of about ten, tries to make sense of war and his father's arrest. His mother is religious, sympathetic to the Fascists; his father is ... See full summary »

Director:

Fernando Arrabal (as Arrabal)

Writers:

Fernando Arrabal (by) (as Arrabal), Fernando Arrabal (novel) (as Arrabal)

Stars:

Anouk Ferjac, Núria Espert, Mahdi Chaouch

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anouk Ferjac	...	La Tante / The aunt
Núria Espert	...	La Mère / The mother
Mahdi Chaouch	...	Fando / Son
Ivan Henriques	...	Tosan / Le Père-The father
Jazia Klibi	...	Thérèse / Fando's friend
Suzanne Comte	...	La Grand-mère / Grandmother
Jean-Louis Chassigneux	...	Le Grand-père / Grandfather
Mohamed Bellasoued	...	Colonel
Victor Garcia	...	Fando / 20 ans-yo

Storyline

At the end of the Spanish civil war, Fando, a boy of about ten, tries to make sense of war and his father's arrest. His mother is religious, sympathetic to the Fascists; his father is accused of being a Red. Fando discovers that his mother may have aided in his father's arrest. Sometimes we witness Fando imagining explanations for what's going on; sometimes we see him at play, alone or with his friend Thérèse. Oedipal fantasies and a lad's natural curiosity about sex and death mix with his search for his mother's nature and his father's fate. Will Fando survive the search?

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Plot Keywords:

nihilism | mother bathes son | federico garcia lorca | fascist government | fascist regime | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of Fernando Arrabal.

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Goofs

When Fando is up at the lighthouse and urinates on the city, a hose behind his legs is clearly visible at times.

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Connections

Referenced in The Death King (1990)

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Soundtracks

Ekkoleg
Written and Performed by Grethe Agatz

User Reviews

An invitation to Arrabal's Universe!

The film is semi-autobiographical of Fernando Arrabal, a Spanish-born absurdist playwright, novelist, and filmmaker who is also the co-creator (with Roland Topor and Alexandro Jodorowsky) of the famous Panic Movement.

The story paints a surreal portrait of the Spanish Civil war criticizing the brutality of Catholicism, with a strong oedipal undertone, enormously violent and erotic scenes accompanied by macabre visuals. This film totally flipped me over by the end of it. It was exciting to follow the whole time, but it was the end of it that impressed me. I can say it's one of the most powerful cinematic milestone, Not something I'd recommend for entertainment.

Details

Country:

France Tunisia

Language:

French

Release Date:

12 May 1971 (France)

Also Known As:

Long Live Death

Filming Locations:

Tunisia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isabelle Films, Satpec

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1