Spirit of the Beehive

Buy This Item Spirit of the Beehive by Homevision  Available from Amazon  $29.95  on 11-25-2008     Set in rural Spain in 1940, Victor Erice's (<I>El Sur</I>, <I>Dream of Light</I>) extraordinary debut film is a haunting portrait of the isolation of an introverted child within her own family. Ana Torrent is absolutely unforgettable as the lonely little girl who sees Boris Karloff's <I>Frankenstein</I>, and is convinced that the monster actually exists. Encouraged by her sister, she sets off into the woods to find him and becomes immersed in a mysterious and poetic imaginary world. A poignant exploration of the fragile innocence of childhood, <I>The Spirit of the Beehive</I> is Spanish cinema at its very best. Reader Reviews I should start by saying that before seeing this film I knew nothing about Spanish cinema. And now that I have seen it I feel I know even less. I bought the DVD (a mistake) because I respect the Criterion Collection and the blurb on the back of the box made it sound interesting (also I had a discount coupon burning a hole in my pocket). There is no point in giving away the plot - which is quite sparse. The acting by the two little girls is very good. Audiences should be warned that there is an unpleasant scene involving a house cat. I don't know how many million people were killed in the Spanish Civil War; not a single one of those deaths upsets me because they are just abstractions. But when you hurt a cat you stroke my fur the wrong way. The movie takes place after this war and references to it are indirect and (to an ignorant foreigner like me) rather obscure. I have read some of the other reviews here and it amazes me that some people love this film. I suppose with love there are no explanations. If you still are thinking about seeing this film, rent it but don't buy it. I hope that you can find meanings in it which are apparently beyond my simple view.

Spirit of the Beehive Available from Amazon Price: $29.95 Updated on 11-25-2008.

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