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La balsa de piedra

  • 2002
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
656
YOUR RATING
Icíar Bollaín, Gabino Diego, Diogo Infante, Federico Luppi, and Ana Padrão in La balsa de piedra (2002)
DramaFantasy

An inexplicable crack in the Pyrenees Mountains provokes excitement and scientific curiosity. As the geological fracture deepens and widens, the European community begins to disassociate its... Read allAn inexplicable crack in the Pyrenees Mountains provokes excitement and scientific curiosity. As the geological fracture deepens and widens, the European community begins to disassociate itself from the calamity, and panic ensues among tourists and residents attempting to escape.... Read allAn inexplicable crack in the Pyrenees Mountains provokes excitement and scientific curiosity. As the geological fracture deepens and widens, the European community begins to disassociate itself from the calamity, and panic ensues among tourists and residents attempting to escape. When Spain and Portugal physically separate from the continent, the detached Iberian peni... Read all

  • Director
    • George Sluizer
  • Writers
    • Yvette Biro
    • José Saramago
    • George Sluizer
  • Stars
    • Federico Luppi
    • Icíar Bollaín
    • Gabino Diego
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    656
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George Sluizer
    • Writers
      • Yvette Biro
      • José Saramago
      • George Sluizer
    • Stars
      • Federico Luppi
      • Icíar Bollaín
      • Gabino Diego
    • 6User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations

    Photos7

    La balsa de piedra (2002)
    Federico Luppi in La balsa de piedra (2002)
    Icíar Bollaín, Gabino Diego, Federico Luppi, and Ana Padrão in La balsa de piedra (2002)
    Gabino Diego, Diogo Infante, Federico Luppi, and Ana Padrão in La balsa de piedra (2002)
    La balsa de piedra (2002)
    The Vanishing (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Federico Luppi
    Federico Luppi
    • Pedro
    Icíar Bollaín
    Icíar Bollaín
    • Maria
    • (as Iciar Bollain)
    Gabino Diego
    Gabino Diego
    • Jose
    Ana Padrão
    Ana Padrão
    • Joana
    • (as Ana Padrao)
    Diogo Infante
    Diogo Infante
    • Joaquim
    Antonia San Juan
    Antonia San Juan
    • Ministra Enriquez
    Rebeca Tébar
    • Chica Del Peaje
    • (as Rebeca Tebar)
    Simon Chandler
    Simon Chandler
    • Primer Ministro Ingles
    Marques D'Arede
    Marques D'Arede
    • Presidente de Portugal
    Manuel Galiana
    Manuel Galiana
    • Primer Ministro Español
    Francisco Algora
    Francisco Algora
    • Capataz Espana
    Raúl Cano
    • Ayudante de Pedro
    Luís Castro
    • Cientifico 3
    Jose Luis Chavarria Perez
    • Sismologo
    Sixto Cid
    • Entrevistador
    Maria d'Aires
    Maria d'Aires
    • Cientifico 2
    Carlos Da Silva
    • Gerente Hotel Jorge
    Antonio de la Fuente
    • Policia 2
    • Director
      • George Sluizer
    • Writers
      • Yvette Biro
      • José Saramago
      • George Sluizer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Once the film was completed, a special screening was organized for Noble Prize winner José Saramago, whose book the film was based on. Fearing the celebrated writer's judgment, director George Sluizer hid himself on a chair in the back row of the cinema. Once the film was over, Saramago called Sluizer to come forward, to give him a hug and thank him kindly for his great achievement. With tears in his eyes, the staunch leftist Saramago told Sluizer he had been afraid the film would have become a commercial Hollywood film, which turned out to be incorrect.

    User reviews6

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Worthy adaption of Saramago
    To be fair, at first I was rather hesitant to watch this movie because of the ambivalent ratings on IMDB. However, as I worked through the entire oeuvre of director George Sluizer, this was the one I saved until last.

    Sluizer is an amazing director, who was, unfortunately, largely misunderstood during his own lifetime in his home country, The Netherlands, and mostly ignored by critics. Probably partly due of this, but I think mostly because of his great enthusiasm for travelling, he made many wonderful movies all over the world, including Brazil, the Middle East, and several European countries. It takes a lot of courage to direct movies in six different languages, but Sluizer succeeded masterfully. This is also the case for this film, which is situated on the Iberian peninsula and includes Spanish and Portuguese dialogue. In a sense, Sluizer thus is not a distinctive Dutch director, but an artist with a universal scope.

    Now, I am very happy to have saved The Stone Raft for so long, as I am able to finish my series with a very strong film. The Stone Raft smartly blends magical realism with political satire and heartfelt emotions. Furthermore, the members of the 'fellowship' travelling around the peninsula - containing out of three men, two women, and a dog - are portrayed by good actors. Maybe, this film might not be your favourite genre, or you might find it slightly slow, yet a true film lover should be able to recognise its quality.

    Although I have never read Jose Saramago's novel The Stone Raft (A Jangada de Pedra), I did read his most famous one, Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira), and with this knowledge I recognised a lot of elements of his typical writing style. Therefore, in my eyes it is a worthy adaption of the Noble Prize winning author's writings.
    helpful•1
    1
    • nigiweij
    • Sep 30, 2020

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 19, 2002 (Netherlands)
    • Countries of origin
      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Netherlands
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official Site (Spain)
    • Languages
      • Spanish
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • The Stone Raft
    • Filming locations
      • Almería, Andalucía, Spain
    • Production companies
      • Lusomundo
      • MGS Film
      • Sogecine
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $329,766
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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