¡Ay, Carmela!

I only wanted to say that it was not until the second time that I watched it that I began to really appreciate the complexity of the story, is web of ironies, and the extent of the moral dilemmas with which the different characters really had to confront and deal with...and how in the end, it was really the lack of the husband's moral backbone that nearly bankrupted Carmela's (i.e, Spain's) morality and dignity...a dignity that was redeemed in the very end of the movie, but only through Carmela's very own blood - a very clear Christ-figure reference; one consistent with western literature, and also very consistent with much of the film's Communist/Republican/Atheist vs. Franco-Fascist/Vatican-Backed/Fervent Catholic sub plot.

Carmen Maura was brilliant in the complex role of Carmela, as were the two male supporting actors in their respective roles. I only wish that the subtitles would have done the rich Spanish dialogue more justice. So many nuances had to be left out, but those I suppose are the limitations inherent in subtitles, no matter how competently they may be done.

During the Spanish Civil War a spirited vaudeville team on a morale boosting tour of the republican front lines is captured by fascist troops and made an offer they can't refuse: face imprisonment and possible execution or perform a degrading propaganda skit for the amusement of local officers. The stakes are clear: collaborate and live, or refuse and die, and from that simple dilemma director Carlos Saura conveys the escalating tension before the show with a healthy measure of wartime drama and ironic backstage humor. Saura understands that genuine tragedy requires at least a touch of comedy, provided here by an energetic cast led by the reliable Carmen Maura, who even does her own singing and dancing. So it's too bad that after building such momentum the film has to end on a lurid climax better suited to an Oliver Stone potboiler, complete with strobe light effects and mass audience hysteria. But it's a small price to pay for an otherwise elegant and entertaining reminder of how, even in a war where the issues are obvious, some decisions can be mortally dangerous to make.

Saura's superb display of a well-chosen fit between music and the story that is going on "behind the curtains". He is a master on that. Kind of idealistic view of the Spanish Civil War, as a result of the political moment of "institutional silent" when democracy is possible in Spain again. (90')He took the amazing and just genial play by Sinisterra and make it a new piece of art. Makes you laugh and cry..although the vision of Carmela as the representation of "la republic" inserts women in a stereotyped context of the "abstraction" that does not let her be part of the struggle for democracy, hand by hand with human kind..men in this case.. highly recommended, but also should be followed by the reading of the theater play.

OK, first of all, whoever said that "The Pianist" was a precursor to this movie must not have noticed that "Ay Carmela" was released 8 or so years before it. Also, you probably need to come into this one understanding some of the complicated precepts involved in the Spanish Civil War and how it was more complicated than just one enemy, and that the Republican army was not unified either. This film does a decent job of communicating that complexity and speaking to the ambivalence that the Spanish nation felt (and still feels) about this terrible period in their history. Lastly, as the protagonists are artists, it is important to remember that under Franco many of Spain's leading artistic figures were forced into exile and or shot (as in the case of Garcia Lorca). Expecting to get a history lesson from a movie seems like the wrong motivation altogether for me, I mean these are characters placed into a historical context. So therefore if you know absolutely nothing about this period it may be smart to learn a little first and then appreciate the film through the lens of that knowledge.

This is a film about human beings and how they cope with the nightmare of civil war. We are shown that people's reactions to this kind of ordeal are various. It is an extreme situation and this is conveyed very well by Carlos Saura - we watch people trying to forget where they are and enjoy themselves watching the antics of our variety troupe, only to be reminded of reality, as the sound of aircraft drowns out the performance. This theme of constantly being dragged back to the reality of war continues through the film. The acting is outstanding, Carmen Maura's in particular, and regardless of with whom our personal empathy may lie, Saura does not condemn individuals. Above all, the pain and sadness of a country at war with itself is expressed through the tortuous mental and emotional processes Carmela goes through.

This film brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. It says much about the value of human life,and the bewildering horror and absurdity of civil war.