Volavérunt

Juan Jose Bigas Luna is best known in the U.S. for Jamon,Jamon.....a sexy film which gave Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem international acclaim.Now we have this uniquely restrained film for the director,a lavish costume drama full of passion and intrigue.Featuring many actors from his previous films it centers around the mystery of the real model for Goya's The Naked Maya and the death of the Duchess of Alba.This is more a woman's film as they are the stronger more defined characters... Penelope Cruz is electric and Aitana Sanchez Gijon (Former president of the actors guild)has never been sharper or more powerful.The sparks between the two actresses especially during a Paso Doble,duel of wills jumps off the screen.This film has yet to find American distribution but has played the festival circuit.

Intrigues, love and sex with the Duchess, jealousy from the queen, and finally the Duchess killed, but who killed her? Bigas Luna was able to ensemble a plot, which starts with few dialogs, good photographs, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (The Duchess) and Penélope Cruz showing something of their charms, one Jorge Perugorría (Goya painter) talking or whispering, probably making an effort to avoid his Cuban accent, Jordi Mollà as a lover and powerful minister, and Stefania Sandrelli, no matter how old she is, as a queen, and also a lover. The excitement really starts after mid film, and more than a drama it becomes a good thriller. Therefore do not miss anything from the first part of the film if you want to understand what really is going on. Moreover the film indicates how the famous paint of Goya "La Maja Desnuda" was done and what source the painter used. Certainly it was not the Duchess' body but the one of a nice gypsy lady, Pepita Tudó (Penélope Cruz), very "maja" by the way, we would say in Spanish.

Bigas Luna is not exactly the easiest of Spanish directors with whom to come to terms. His stories tend to wade neck-deep in sophismic quagmires, aided and abetted by insolently visual splendours, which, however, for the intelligent viewer will not succeed in covering up certain lackings which place this director a long way away from Buñuel, or even Saura if you push me. After having been besieged throughout his `La Camarera del Titanic' which left me neither hot nor cold and wondering where the supposed story went under the overlay of irritating sumptuousness, I ventured into watching `Volavérunt' more from my personal interest in the famed Spanish artist Francisco Goya, and to see how Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Penélope Cruz - who are intimate friends - would bear up, rather than any attraction Bigas Luna might have.

The story revolves around Goya's womanising and the mysterious death of the Duchess of Alba at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th Centuries, at a time when Madrid was wobbling through a difficult time and setting the scene for the following Prim vs Crown uprising. The title of the film comes from the Duchess of Alba's euphemism for her most private parts, supposedly revealed in the famous painting `La Maja Desnuda' but which in fact is another woman's body - possibly Pepita Tudó (Penélope Cruz). `Las Majas' were originally called `las gitanas' (gypsy women), but in those days `maja' meant a liberal woman who enjoyed her sexuality and sensuality.

The sets are superb, at least as good as any other period piece films I have ever seen; Franca Squarciapino's costumes are extravagantly magnificent; Asturian courtyards, heraldic-emblazoned palaces and luxury carriages pass by in front of your eyes. But the story is stulted, overwhelmed perhaps by such an immense visual banquet.

Jordi Mollà played an unconvincing Godoy; you should see him in `La Buena Estrella' (qv). And as for our two lovely actresses, I can only opine that Carlos Boyero in his insolent and infinitely unrefined article in `El Mundo' when this film was shown at the San Sebastián film festival, was right at least in saying that they are superbly beautiful, but they too need rôles which can show they are good actresses. Amen: in `Volavérunt' they were not able to show anything - apart from a fair amount of sexuality.

At a grand gala dinner held in the midst of so many conspirations in and out of the royal palace, a fascinating piece of music can be heard: it is the last movement of `El Retrato de Madrid' (Portrait of Madrid) by the Italian composer Luigi Boccherini who for many years was the Spanish Court's official maestro da capela; this piece was composed some years later than the film's story.

This is a melodrama involving 18-19th century famed Spanish painter named Goya, the famous model of the Naked Maja and the favorite Godoy . It's a slow vision of Saragossan painter Francisco Goya Lucientes, Duchess Alba and Godoy , previous years to the French encroachment . On July 23 of 1802, the Duchess of Alba (Aitana Sánchez Gijón) , the wealthy and most liberated woman of her time, offers a gala to inaugurate her new palace . Attendance is first class : the Prime Minister Manuel Godoy (Jordi Mollá) , the painter Goya (Jorge Perugorría) and Pepita Tudo (Penélope Cruz) , lover of Godoy and his model Goya's famous painting The Nude Maja and The Dressed Maja . The next morning, the Duchess of Alba is found dead in her bed in mysterious circumstances , supposedly poised. She was 40-year old . From now on , a twisted intrigue takes place to find who's the alleged killer.

Volavérunt is a 1999 French-Spanish historical drama film directed by Bigas Luna based on a novel with the same title by Antonio Larreta , the film is set in Spain at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Based on the novel by Antonio Laretta , winner of the prestigious Planeta Award . The film was presented in the official section of the 1999 San Sebastián Film Festival. In that same edition of the festival, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón won the Silver Shell to Best Actress for this film . This is a costumer partially based on facts but predominates the slow-moving melodrama with a messing intrigue about a suspicious crime . The picture relies heavily on love relationships among the main roles Goya , Godoy , Maria Luisa De Palma, Pepita Tudo and Duchess of Alba . Glamorously and sumptuosly shot with great settings , evocative musical score by Alberto García Demestres and colorful cinematography by Paco Feminia filmed on location in Parque de El Capricho, Madrid, Madrid, and Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain. But it results to be a failed period thriller , despite its promising start , the film gradually falls apart , leading to a finale of sheer nonsense . Volaverunt is an average movie , a flag of inexplicable rudeness , sordid sex scenes almost soft-core and extreme crudeness in a seasoned professional like Bigas Luna . The film's budget, one of the highest in the history of Spanish cinema, amounted to 1,200 million pesetas , but being really wasted , only special mention for the spectacular horse parade . There are beautiful costumes, the majesty of the palaces, the always successful locations , everything ceases to be impressive when you discover that despite taking a long time swallowing this big budget picture , you will still have it for a long time since if it is about portraying Spanish history . In fact , there's a very brief portrayal of a few historical events , if appearing notorious characters , such as : Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as Cayetana 'Duquesa de Alba' , Penélope Cruz as Pepita Tudó 'La Maja', Jordi Mollà as Don Manuel de Godoy 'Príncipe de La Paz' , Jorge Perugorría as Don Francisco de Goya y Lucientes , Stefania Sandrelli as Reina María Luisa de Parma and Zoe Berriatúa as Príncipe Fernando VII son of the king Carlos IV . The motion picture was mediocrely directed by Bigas Luna. Rating : 4.5/10.

Freely based on actual events as well as historical roles and especially Manuel Godoy . This essential character in the Spanish history , Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, nicknamed Prince of the Peace, 1st Duke of Alcudia, 1st Duke of Sueca, 1st Baron of Mascalbó (12 May 1767 - 4 October 1851) was First Secretary of State of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. He received many titles, including that of príncipe de la Paz ('Prince of the Peace'), by which he is widely known. Godoy is best known for his diplomacy with Napoleon. In 1804 Godoy was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Godoy came to power at a young age as the favourite of King Charles IV and Queen Maria Luisa. Despite multiple disasters, Godoy maintained power. Many Spanish leaders blamed him for the disastrous war with Britain that cut off the Spanish Empire and ruined its finances. Crown Prince Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, led an attempt to oust Godoy in 1807. Godoy's unpopularity culminated in the Tumult of Aranjuez in March 1808, which forced him into exile.

This historical epic, a rarity for quirky Catalonian director Bigas Luna (JAMON, JAMON, GOLDEN BALLS), is quite an achievement. One which has been undeservedly maligned by many. Aitana Sanchez Gijon has been praised for her performance as the Duchess of Alba, having won the Best Actress award at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. The rest of the stellar cast: Penelope Cruz, Jordi Moya', and Jorge Perugorria (as Goya) are at least adequate, and the art direction, and look of the movie are both breathtaking.