Les amants de Teruel

Caught this gem at an art house in San Francisco, end of the N-Judah, in the fog-swept avenues. Which was so perfect for watching this film, about 1969. I was mesmerized, fell in love with Ludmilla Tcherina (who I already adored from The Red Shoes), and, like others here commenting, have been searching for it since I joined the internet in 1995! For a long time I, too, thought I had the title wrong (but knew I didn't).

I remember very little after all these years, except dark and beautiful and other-worldly. I so wish a theater-worthy copy would appear, so I could ask my local art film house to screen it. I will keep looking. And until I see it again to disprove my memory, I will continue to call this the greatest dance film I've ever seen.

Quite simply one of the most beautiful and effective fusions of different arts I have ever seen. I was at the University of Minnesota when it was programmed by the Film Society there, while its faculty adviser was Al Milgrom. The film simply flabbergasted me . Widescreen color love story with little dialogue and perhaps the finest music Mikis Theodorakis ever wrote. In his classical vein, not his Zorba mode. Simple and universal story and why it went nowhere in the USA is far beyond my power to even imagine. The dream sequence in ballet is not your standard tutu fest, and develops shockingly powerful emotions. I viewed it once and have never forgotten either it or certain images and have spent over 30 years searching, not obsessively but with reasonable regularity for its music or a copy of the film in any possible format.

This superb film is not only a wonderful dance film but also an art film of the best kind. Much of the art direction seems to be derived from movements in the development of modern art from the first half of the twentieth century. Though I have not seen the film in a while (only three times in all)I distinctly recall scenes reminiscent of the painter deChirico as well as perhaps the blue or mauve periods of Picasso. This film is a rare jewel.

The only other film I have seen that comes close is Carlos Sauras' El Amor Brujo.

This wonderful film never had a chance in this country. When it opened in one theatre in NYC, a newspaper strike that lasted several months was taking place. With no ads and no published reviews it died. I fortunately got to see the film because I happened to notice that the driving force of the film was Ludmilla Tcherina a favorite of mine since seeing her in "Tales of Hoffmann". It was put on beta video tape by Kultur, unfortunately the tape was bad as it did not use widescreen or pan & scan and much of the film was lost on the edges. This film with its wonderful music by Theodrakis deserves another

I first saw this film in the early seventies and have sought it out at every chance I had since then. This is one of my most favorite films of all time. It will appeal to those who have a deep appreciation of the art of western Europe from the end of the nineteenth century to the thirties. The art direction is pointedly referential to these art genres. It has a condensed power and sensibility that has conceptual roots (in the story line) in films like Children of Paradise and La Strada as well as the more recent El Amor Brujo by Carlos Saura, an equally fine dance film. There are aspects of this film that will not appeal to those who expect more dialog and a less stylized presentation than this film embraces. This film is pure art on every level and an exceptional tour-d'force collaboration between the director (Rouleau), the composer (Theodorakis, famous for Zorba the Greek)and the cinematographer (Claude Renoir, son of the director, grandson of the painter). I am waiting for an opportunity to own a clean color corrected print. The tape I saw recently was in poor condition, very contrasty and color shifting. The subtitles were often white on white, which is frustrating, but in no way diminishes the power of this fabulous film.