We read the original text by Lawrence Thornton when it was published in this country and liked it for what it dared to present. Not having seen the film, as we don't think it was ever released commercially in this country, or maybe it was just seen in a few markets, we recently caught up with it via the DVD version.
Coming, as it did, to the screen adapted by an English playwright, Christopher Hampton, we were expecting much more than what we see on the screen. The novel is worth reading for anyone interested in the tragedy that was perpetuated in Argentina, in which the people in power decided to eliminate, gradually, all those that opposed the military regime, or as in the case of the story at hand, innocent people that had brains to realize the atrocities that were being committed by the brutal people in power.
The main problem with the film is the tone that Mr. Hampton decided to give his adaptation. The metaphysical powers of Carlos Rueda occupy center This film could have improved with an all Spanish cast instead of the mixture of acting styles and accents in the finished product. Casting a bearded Antonio Banderas, as Carlos, was perhaps, the wrong choice. Mr. Banderas, whose career in America has been in mostly action movies, is not effective as the man who sees into the crimes that are being committed, including those against his wife, Cecilia, and his daughter, Teresa, but is helpless to do anything to help them.
A heavily accented Emma Thompson is seen as Cecilia, who sees her world shattered when they take her away and is tortured by those savages that kept her. Ruben Blades has nothing to do in the film, as his presence doesn't add anything to the story. Ditto for Maria Canals, who plays Esme, the loyal friend. Leticia Dolera appears as Carlos and Cecilia's daughter Teresa, who like her mother, is taken away as a lesson for the father, who has dared to ask about their whereabouts and has protested publicly.
The only thing the film serves is to remind us about those totalitarian governments that have brought to power dictators like the ones that wrecked havoc in Argentina against people they thought were in their way.
Coming, as it did, to the screen adapted by an English playwright, Christopher Hampton, we were expecting much more than what we see on the screen. The novel is worth reading for anyone interested in the tragedy that was perpetuated in Argentina, in which the people in power decided to eliminate, gradually, all those that opposed the military regime, or as in the case of the story at hand, innocent people that had brains to realize the atrocities that were being committed by the brutal people in power.
The main problem with the film is the tone that Mr. Hampton decided to give his adaptation. The metaphysical powers of Carlos Rueda occupy center This film could have improved with an all Spanish cast instead of the mixture of acting styles and accents in the finished product. Casting a bearded Antonio Banderas, as Carlos, was perhaps, the wrong choice. Mr. Banderas, whose career in America has been in mostly action movies, is not effective as the man who sees into the crimes that are being committed, including those against his wife, Cecilia, and his daughter, Teresa, but is helpless to do anything to help them.
A heavily accented Emma Thompson is seen as Cecilia, who sees her world shattered when they take her away and is tortured by those savages that kept her. Ruben Blades has nothing to do in the film, as his presence doesn't add anything to the story. Ditto for Maria Canals, who plays Esme, the loyal friend. Leticia Dolera appears as Carlos and Cecilia's daughter Teresa, who like her mother, is taken away as a lesson for the father, who has dared to ask about their whereabouts and has protested publicly.
The only thing the film serves is to remind us about those totalitarian governments that have brought to power dictators like the ones that wrecked havoc in Argentina against people they thought were in their way.