Cría Cuervos (1976)

Three orphaned sisters under the custody of their stern aunt and their handicapped grandmother will have to acclimatise to the new conditions of their shared life, overcome life's constant impediments, and in the process, grow up.

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writer:

Carlos Saura (screenplay)

Stars:

Ana Torrent, Conchita Pérez, Mayte Sanchez

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ana Torrent	...	Ana niña
Conchita Pérez	...	Irene (as Conchi Perez)
Mayte Sanchez	...	Maite (as Maite Sánchez)
Geraldine Chaplin	...	María / Ana
Mónica Randall	...	Paulina (as Monica Randall)
Florinda Chico	...	Rosa
Josefina Díaz	...	Abuela (as Josefina Diaz)
Germán Cobos	...	Nicolás Garontes (as German Cobos)
Héctor Alterio	...	Anselmo (as Hector Alterio)
Mirta Miller	...	Amelia Garontes
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julieta Serrano	...	Ana (voice)

Storyline

In Madrid, the orphan sisters Irene, Ana and Maite are raised by their austere aunt Paulina together with their mute and crippled grandmother after the death of their mother and their military father Anselmo. Ana is a melancholic girl, fascinated by death, after seeing her mother having a painful death and her father dead in bed.

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | francoist spain | poison | childhood fantasy | childhood trauma | 

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Taglines:

Raise Ravens and they'll Peck out Your Eyes.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

18 May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cría Cuervos

Filming Locations:

15 Calle de María de Molina, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elías Querejeta Producciones Cinematográficas S.L.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title in Spanish stems from the phrase "Raise ravens and they'll pluck out your eyes". The equivalent phrase in English would be "you reap what you sow".

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Quotes

Rosa: Your poor mother wanted to breastfeed you, but she was too pale and delicate. So I was the one who really nursed you.
Ana: Did you breastfeed me?
Rosa: Heavens, no. I gave you a bottle.
Ana: You've got big breasts. Will you show me?
Rosa: What do you think this is, a circus?
Ana: Come on, show me! I'll close my eyes and count to five... Oh! They're so big!

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Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #4.1 (1991)

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Soundtracks

¡Ay, Maricruz!
Written by Joaquín Valverde (as Valverde), Rafael de León (as León) and Manuel L. Quiroga (as Quiroga)
Performed by Imperio Argentina

User Reviews

A film about the girl with sad and serious eyes

I took this film in a video library and watched it 3 times. It is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. The techniques in the film are very modest but it's amazing what the director does with them. I liked very much this sad and quiet girl. The scene where her pet dies and she buries him is so solemn and heart-breaking. I felt sad about the old Grandmother who watches the old pictures in sadness. I also liked Geraldine Chaplin, she is very good in this role, her intimate bond with the daughter, and how she looks at Ana with sadness when the girl doesn't notice it. The scene where the girl imagines her mom combing her hair is mesmerizing. Maria's pain is very palpable.

By the way I found some interesting information about this film. Geraldine Chaplin was dubbed in the episodes where she plays the grown Ana. It was done because the actress has a slight British accent which is not annoying or too prominent (for me at least), but the point is that she plays a grown girl, and it would be rather weird if a grown person acquires an accent in one's mother tongue if this accent did not exist during the childhood. So it was an intelligent consideration of the director.

I recommend this movie very much.