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:

Geraldine Chaplin, Mónica Randall, Florinda Chico

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

Cast

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

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

Ana: The only thing I remember very clearly, is that at the time, I was convinced my father was responsible for all the sadness that embittered the last years of my mother's life. I was convinced that it was he and he alone that had caused her illness and death.

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Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #4.1 (1991)

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Soundtracks

Canción y Danzas N.6
Composed by Frederic Mompou

User Reviews

Perspectives

This film is such a splendid experience that it's difficult to really describe objectively why. The plot, the characters are revealed at a perfect tempo, keeping the audience engrossed and anticipating what's next. Any film with such sparse dialogue needs to make the rare lines worthwhile, and Saura certainly does, probably learning from Erice, the master of indispensable dialogue. Ana Torrent invites all sorts of Erice comparisons, but I see Saura taking a step beyond him here visually.

"Beehive" was a landmark film, and unlike anything that had been made. But the camera maintained the same distance and the story was fundamentally allegorical. Saura experiments with distance, sometimes following the characters closely, sometimes giving an omniscient birds eye view of the area. Sometimes remaining a mere witness to what's happening. It's very carefully calculated to best enhance the scene and keep these extraordinary events within the realm of possibility.

If there's such a film as a director's film, this is it. Although it is certainly worthwhile for the performances as well.

5 out of 5 - Essential