Amor Bruxo

Formalismo, that school of Hispanic literature that emphasizes form as function, or form over function, has little to do with Saura's EL AMOR BRUJO. This is Saura's final work in his flamenco trilogy that began with BODAS de SANGRE and includes CARMEN. As with those two films, Saura bases this cinematic ballet on a previous work, Manuel de Falla's EL AMOR BRUJO. The other two films in the trilogy were based on Lorca's BODAS de SANGRE and Merimee's and Bizet's novel and opera, CARMEN. These three classical works are not examples of formalismo. Rather, they are prime examples of both the realistic and impressionistic schools of literature which under the creative mastery of Saura become sensual re-creations of love, passion, betrayal, and death. The love stories here supercede form and attain a thematic content worthy of the great literary works they portray. The starkness of the set is for symbolic purposes and not for form nor for function. The dilapidated, dusty set represents the emptiness of the soul that has lost great love, or has been deceived by a bewitching love. The set takes on color when Candela dances the Fire Dance, and again at the end when Lucia sacrifices herself to be the eternal lover of the bewitching ghost of Jose, thus setting Candela free from his cursed memory. Saura never lets us forget the tension between reality and fiction as the dawn rises on a new day over a theatrical set free of obsessions with death and love that bewitches the lover.

In a Gypsy village, the fathers of Candela and José promise their children to each other. Years later, the unfaithful José (Juan Antonio Jiménez) marries Candela (Cristina Hoyos) but while defending his lover Lucía (Laura del Sol) in a brawl, he is stabbed to death. Carmelo (Antonio Gades), who secretly loves Candela since he was a boy, is arrested while helping José and unfairly sent to prison. Four years later he is released and declares his love for Candela. However, the woman is cursed by a bewitched love and every night she goes to the place where José died to dance with his ghost.

"El Amor Brujo" is the shooting of a magnificent Flamenco ballet and third and last movie of the Carlos Saura's trilogy. The story based on the ancient tradition of promising children to marry each other has love, passion, betrayal, death, lust and redemption, with the lead character tied and being consumed by her unresolved desire for her former husband. The lighting in the set is impressive and the dances and the music score are awesome. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Amor Bruxo" ("Warlock Love")

As an avid fan of classical music, ballet, opera, I am, more often than not, confounded by the poor quality of films based on these genres. If they're not "dumbed down," they are "interpreted," beyond recognition, or simply a vehicle for the director to shout: "look at me! I'm DIRECTING!"

But Carlos Saura has placed the story (full of passion, fire, lust, longing, love, sin and redemption) well ahead of his own ego. He simply allows the story to be told through dance, music and sparse dialogue.

Add to this the quality and nature of the choreography where again, we are simply allowed to experience the story: the dance, and its appropriateness to the subject matter tells us all.

Musically, it is almost, also, perfect. My one reservation lay in some acoustically "awkward" moments that render de Falla's critical orchestration less effective. I will not name them, in the hopes that the reader will not notice them and therefore, not be disappointed.

Nevertheless, the music is brilliant, and these three elements of form work together for a powerful, moving, and thrilling experience. As music with dance creates an experience that is more than both, this creation is much more than a film.

See it with a loved one. Or alone at night with a glass of Fundador...

This is a brilliant film, one of Carlos Saura's best. It is essentially a ballet, laced with gorgeous music and moving photography. I've seen it three times and have enjoyed it more each time.

This isn't a teen flick, of course, and will not appeal to everyone. But for people serious about music, dance, and drama, this shouldn't be missed.

Formalismo is an integral part of both Hispanic culture and gypsy/flamenco culture. It is inherent in this dance-drama within a movie. You must willingly suspend disbelief in the realistic sets set on an obvious dance stage with scrimmed and lighted backdrops. Likewise to accept the plot, you must suspend disbelief in phantom lovers, duels for honor, and happy-ever-after endings -- although be forwarned that the ending of this Bewitched Love (a better translation than the usual "Love, the Magician", altho' there are at least three other ways to interpret the ambiguous Spanish title words) can be understood only as a comedy, or comedie noire. The action, singing and dancing are compressed into the lines of flamenco dances as tightly as pure emotion can be condensed into a sonnet, or any other strict form, and yet they transcend with the freedom of the gypsy spirit, if you but open yourself to the experience. The first of Saura's great dance movies.