i dont know much about spanish film from the 70s but i know that it was an interesting time. franco still heavily censored the filmmakers and the wacky comedy of pedro almodobar was still years away. what resulted was dreamlike and ethereal films of victor erice and carlos saura.
CRIA CUERVROS is a good example of the films i see as typical of 1970s spain. in english, the title is raising ravens, an idiomatic expression for misteaching your children or opening a pandora's box. the plot is very much centered around that. at the beginning of the film, we see a child sort of witness her father killed and the ghost of her mother guiding her. her and her two sisters go to live with her aunt as she continues to get visits from her mother. it is a film about growing up in a dysfunctional situation but making the most of it. the remarkable thing about cria is how remarkably subtle the message is. we would only how tortured the child (her name is ana, and is played by ana torrent) is due to flash-forwards from her as an adult talking about the time.
maybe i am grouping this victor erice and spirit of the beehive because ana torrent was in that too and also had elements of fantasy in it. either way, i didnt care for beehive but i did enjoy cria.
grantd, the film was slow and i was bored a bit during the middle but i was pretty entranced by the visuals. i am really glad torrent has continued to have such an amazing career as she was talented beyond her years in this and beehive, for the matter. definetely worth a watch
