Im Sog der Leidenschaft

If on the one hand Antonio Gala can be considered one of the best writers of real literature in Spain today, and is also one of the leading connoisseurs of Islamic history and culture, and on the other José Luis Alcaine is one of our best directors of photography and José Nieto one of the best composers for TV and films, and we add to all this that Ana Belén is not at all a bad actress as well as being a very accomplished singer, either alone or with her husband Víctor Manuel, one could say that this film was destined to be memorable.

However, Vicente Aranda, who may be considered one of our most representative film directors today, just does not hit it off with this film. I think mostly because somewhere along the line in transition from being a literary novel of subtle poeticness to being a somewhat crudely and hurriedly concocted passionate love affair in seething sithering Istanbul, especially laid on for Spanish tourists judging by the San Miguel beer spread out on the street-side café, quite a lot of deliberate delicacy got lost.

The result being a rather top-heavy show of macho bravura unbefitting intelligent women in today's modern Spain – or anywhere else in Europe. The overbearing macho tendencies attributable to Islamics just does not fit in: the film becomes 'trasnochada' even before it starts.

I have seen this film about three times, unfortunately: and each time I like it less. Maybe it is because I suffer from acute manias with everything associated with Islamic mentality. Perhaps. I will not argue that: and of course accept that all manias are rather silly, especially including my own. But the fact remains that I was not brought up believing that women were like cattle and thus to be treated similarly. And that is what purportedly this film is bent on showing. Definitely one of Ana Belén's more important roles, but I am afraid that in this film things go dreadfully awry.

Ana Belen gives a tour-de-force performance as Desideria, a woman who is fulfilling her societal obligations by marrying her college sweetheart and living the perfect life in the eyes of her friends but it is her sexual urges that are not being fulfilled until on a trip to Turkey she meets YAMAN....Georges Corraface fills this character with seething sensuality and dangerous passion.....he takes her forcefully and this is what she craved.To be desired,to be ravaged....to feel alive. She leaves her husband and returns to live a life with Yaman...from his reaction you get the impression he seduces many women,and always hears their vows of returning to him.Desideria has and now she is in a land where she does not speak the language.GREAT FILM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the fourth film I've watched from Spanish director Aranda; as with THE NAKED EYE (1998), it's one of his more recent works - as opposed to vintage stuff like FATA MORGANA (1965) and THE BLOOD-SPATTERED BRIDE (1972; still his best film).

In essence, it's pretty similar to THE NAKED EYE - focusing as it does on an independent-minded woman's search for sexual fulfillment, which borders on obsession - though the details, obviously, are different; furthermore, this one has an added attraction in its exotic locale. The pace is appropriately languid, but the narrative is filled with enough ironic - if predictable - touches to keep one's interest throughout and, like Laura Morante in the later film, Ana Belen here delivers a committed central performance.

Intense and heart-rending melodrama about Desideria (Ana Belén) , a married Spanish woman on holidays in Istanbul (Turkey) along with her husband (Ramón Madaula) and two couples (Blanca Apilanez-Francis Lorenzo and Silvia Munt-Helio Pedregal) where she meets Yaman (Georges Corraface) , a Turkish tourist guide, and she falls for him . Then , Desirea leaves his middle-class world and goes back Istanbul to live an extreme passion . But Yaman results to be a womanizer and a dangerous person , as she is submitted , mistreated and even prostituted for him .



This interesting as well as intimate story is a passionate recounting , dealing with the troublesome relationship between a shy woman and a tough man , including strong sex scenes . The film is acceptable thanks to excellent acting by Ana Belén who provides a peculiar role as a woman carried by an real passion , as well as an evocative and imaginative cinematography . Here stands out the top-notch interpretations and efficient erotic scenes , Aranda's usual marks . In addition , the well-paced belly-dances scenes and his skills in shooting the Turkish final celebration . Vicente Aranda also writes the script a based on a novel by Antonio Gala , and being filmed in his customary formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . Antonio Gala is a notorious screenwriter as TV as cinema , as he has written a great number of screenplays and novels mostly adapted , such as : ¨Paisaje Con Figuras¨, ¨Si Las Piedras hablasen¨, ¨Digan lo que digan¨, ¨Esa Mujer¨, ¨Pepa Doncel¨, and ¨Los Buenos Dias Perdidos¨ . . Good acting by duo protagonist such as Ana Belén as a married woman who has a quite boring and hidden sex-life , and Georges Corraface as a stud who makes her discover new physical experiences . Corraface as the ordinary character as a ¨Macho man¨ gives verisimilitude enough . Support cast is pretty good , such as : Ramón Madaula as the bitter , resentful as well as deceived husband , Loles León , Jordi Dauder , Lara Mañá , Blanca Apilanez and Silvia Munt , among others . . Spotless pictorial and glimmer cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine in ColorScope , Pedro Almodovar's usual , he carries out a photography with juicy atmosphere , being filmed in Istanbul , showing spectacularly the scenario of this gorgeous city . Alcaine is deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen with a long and prestigious artistic career and Almodovar's ordinary cameraman , he has photographed successes such as ¨Volver¨ , ¨The bad education¨ , ¨The skin I live in¨ , and ¨Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown¨ . He was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning in the 1970s . Jose Luis Alcaine thought a theory that the Frank Borzage movie A farewell to the arms (1932) after a story by Ernest Hemingway, was the main and total inspiration for Pablo Picasso in the creation of the "Guernica", one of the most important painting of the 20th century . Furthermore , a willingness almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . Sensitive and rousing musical score by José Nieto , including an enjoyable leitmotif plenty of oriental and Turkish sounds .



The motion picture was allrightly produced by the great producers Eduardo Campoy and Andrés Vicente Gómez ; being professionally directed in his particular style by veteran filmmaker Vicente Aranda . After his interesting and intriguing dyptic formed by ¨Amantes¨ (91) and ¨Intruso¨ (93) , Aranda directed this one , returning to his ordinary retelling based on contemporary Spanish novels , this time in a version based on the homonymous and bestselling novel written by Antonio Gala . He directed a series of award-winning movies firmly establishing him as one of the best Spanish filmmakers . His usual film editor is own wife , Teresa Font . Vicente is an expert on literary adaptations , he has been working from the 60s with ¨Fata Morgana¨ , Las Crueles¨ , ¨Novia Ensangrentada¨ , ¨Clara es el precio¨ , among others . His greatest successes were intense dramas with plenty of sex such as ¨Amantes¨, ¨Pasion Turca¨ , ¨Si Dicen Que Cai¨ , ¨Intruso¨ , ¨Tiempo de Silencio¨ , ¨Carmen¨ , along with a delinquency tale : ¨El Lute¨I and II starred by Imanol Arias , his fetish actor and specially the historical story titled ¨Juana La Loca¨.

This film based on a Spanish best-seller is a wonderful, exotic drama, with too many distinctive elements to mention them all here. So, what's with the rating? The average rating is 7, but an actual rating of 5 is shown. If anything, someone with a personal grudge has stuffed the ballots against this crowd pleasing film. I first saw it here 5 years ago at our International Film Festival, where it played to a packed house, and was an audience favorite. The same acclaim in its native Spain and Latin America had preceded it. Otherwise, it would not have been chosen for our Festival, which features a small and careful selection of the best Hispanic Films not in general release in the US. Anyway, the movie has now been available on PAL video for years, and is one of the most memorable romantic dramas you will ever see, with several unique touches, you are unlikely to forget. The novel use of two endings by the director is one of them. The movie ends with a more popular (with test audiences) ending, different from the novel. The director then shows us again the last scene, ending the film as the novel ended. This gives audience a choice of endings, and makes you think about how original material is frequently altered in films, to make them more commercial. This additional food for thought is the last stroke of genius the director offers us. Don't miss it.