La caza

This reminds me of that bleak Australian forgotten gem Wake in Fright where dusty sunbaked desolation brings out the worst animal instincts in a group of men, in this case five guys, old friends or acquaintances who haven't seen each other in years, who go out in the Spanish sierra to hunt rabbit. Whereas Wake in Fright at least on some level acquiesces to the idea that we're not perfect beings and revels in anarchy and amorality, Carlos Saura's film feels reactionary. Dialogue and characterization feels calculated to bring out the worst in the characters, they're fully unpleasant from the get go and staying out in the scorching midday heat under a makeshift tent makes them more irritable and frustrated. Their own deadend lives and petty concerns reflect their hunt - from a safe distance, picking off defenceless animals. This is something to pass the time, or worse, an excuse for not passing the time.

I like how Saura films the arid landscape in unflattering shots. This is not the picturesque desert of Lawrence of Arabia. This is an inhospitable patch of dirt where nothing grows and Saura gives us flat shots of dusty hillsides. I also like the frantic hand-held shots, of rabbits running amok through the sparse undergrowth, of the hunters inspecting their rifles and jerking them to aim at the distance, and now someone is nervously wiping sweat off his forehead and musing unpleasant thoughts in voice-over, suspicion or aggression. But everything feels calculated here, and Saura's political commentary does not go amiss. The owner of the hacienda where they go to hunt has discovered the skeletal remains of someone from the "war" (it could be the Spanish civil war, although one of the companions snaps irritably "does it matter which war?") and keeps them hidden in a cave. This is a category, a finger raised in outraged accusation against the worst in us.

Interesting and thought-provoking look about a rabbit hunting excursion through a hot , long day . Well directed film by Carlos Saura who tried to create a sort of Spanish Neo-Realism by tackling a hunt starred by four former friends (Alfredo Mayo , Jose Maria Prada , Luis Merlo and Emilio Gutierrez Caba) that becomes a violent confrontation . Both of them find their friendships extended to the breaking point in which emerges violence and vengeance , turning the characters over the edge of breakdown .

This sour picture is well set in Spain of the 60s , when four friends set out a planned hunting and as minor events and disputes led toward more frequent and angrier facing off . This film was notorious in the years of the Franco dictatorship including provoking and polemic issues and played by known and prestigious actors . His style is pretty much sour , dry and realistic as well in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog . ¨La Caza¨ is one of Saura's undisputed masterpieces and fundamental in his filmography where shows the miseries of some amoral characters and shot at the height of his creativity, in a period cultural difficult, where the enormous censorship of the political regime exacerbated the ingenuity and imagination of the scriptwriters . Splendid photography with juicy atmosphere by Luis Cuadrado who along with Teo Escamilla are considered to be two of the best Spanish cameramen , both of whom worked for Saura . Being splendidly filmed on location in Aranjuez, Madrid, Esquivias, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha and Seseña, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain . Atmospheric musical score by Luis De Pablo who composes a thrilling soundtrack plenty of drums and piano sounds . The picture deservedly won Silver Bear in the Berlin Festival for ¨ La Caza or The Chase¨ (1966) his most successful film .

The motion picture perfectly produced by magnificent producer Elias Querejeta was stunningly directed by Carlos Saura , a good Spanish movies director. He began working in cinema in 1959 when he filmed ¨Los Golfos ¨(1962) dealing with juvenile delinquency from a sociological point of view . Saura is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes among which there are the following ones: Silver Bear in Festival of Berlin for Peppermint Frappé (1967). Special Jury Awards in Cannes for La Prima Angélica (1974), in 1973, and for Cría Cuervos (1976), in 1975. Also, the film Mamá Cumple Cien Años (1979) got an Oscar nomination in 1979 as the best foreign film, and it also won the Special Jury Award at the San Sebastian Festival. He subsequently made ¨Deprisa , Deprisa¨ based on facts about juvenile delinquency in Spain since the 80s , as he tried to take a position in favour of outcast people and he got to make a both lyric and documentary-style cinema . In 1990, he won two Goya , The Spanish Oscar , as best adapted screenplay writer and best director . Saura became an expert on Iberian musical adaptations as ¨Carmen , Amor Brujo , Bodas De Sangre , Sevillanas ,Iberia , Salome, Fado, Flamenco ¨ and even recently Opera as ¨Io , Don Giovanni¨

Full review on my blog max4movies: La Caza (international title: The Hunt) is a drama about three aging friends reuniting for hunting rabbits. The heat and talking about past mistakes make the men increasingly aggressive, until a catastrophe happens. The characters' backstories are told in an unconventional way and because of the wonderful cinematography the movie succeeds in presenting believable characters on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Although the hunt sequences overtly depict violence against animals and could have easily been toned down, the dramatic escalation is well-written, and the conflict between the men feels authentic.

My first encounter with this bleak, stunning film was in its homeland, some 50 miles or so from the area. I felt the heat, the anger and how nature really does control us. What it shows keenly , particularly in the exquisite use of black and white is how close we can all be at any time to savagery. The thin veneer of humanity can so easily be removed. It left me sadly aware that we are all capable of such tragedy. Watch it for a feral insight into our dark souls. Superb.

This third feature of Carlos Saura is the one that put him on the map internationally. Made twenty-seven years after the end of the Spanish Civil War and with almost ten years of Franco's regime remaining this powerful film reeks of death and oppression.

It concerns four mucho macho men who meet up to enjoy the manly pursuit of rabbit hunting! As they begin stalking their quarry they begin to fan out as if on patrol. Three of these men are no strangers to patrols as they are veterans of the Civil War who fought for Franco and the area in which they have chosen to hunt is where some of the bitterest battles were fought. The fourth is the son of a former Falangist who has his father's German Luger to prove it. We soon realise that this hunt is merely a substitute for the real thing. As one of them casually observes: 'the best hunt is a manhunt'!

Many rabbits are successfully slaughtered but when one of the hunters shoots a ferret belonging to a local peasant the fragile cameraderie begins to unravel with devastating consequences........

This brutal, uncompromising piece is not an easy watch by any means but intensely gripping nonetheless thanks to Saura's taut direction, extensive use of close ups, Luis Cuadrado's stunning cinematography and the uniformly excellent performances. The bleached, barren landscape heightens the films effectiveness.

Apparently this film had a profound influence on a certain Sam Peckinpah. Well, it would, wouldn't it!