A grumpy publisher receives a parcel containing a hand that may or may not be fake. A woman is following him. Someone from his past? Reality and fantasy begin to intermingle.A grumpy publisher receives a parcel containing a hand that may or may not be fake. A woman is following him. Someone from his past? Reality and fantasy begin to intermingle.A grumpy publisher receives a parcel containing a hand that may or may not be fake. A woman is following him. Someone from his past? Reality and fantasy begin to intermingle.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe title "Las crueles" (in imitation of the classic French "Les diaboliques" by Clouzot) was an imposition of the Spanish distributor at the time of commercially releasing the film. The title originally planned by the director Vicente Aranda, and of clear surrealist inspiration, was "The exquisite corpse".
- GoofsThere's no way the prosthetic hand, taken out of the box and observed from different angles, could ever be mistaken for the actual rotting hand of a corps, though, inexplicably, the editor's secretary says it somehow smells like one.
- Quotes
Niño: [paraphrasing Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", delivered as eulogy at his pet turtle's funeral] Father hath said Toby was a filthy reptile, and if he were, it was a most grievous fault, and grievously hath he paid for it..
Niño: Here! Here!
Niño: He was our friend, kind, sincere, loyal, yet Father said he was a reptile, and Father is an honorable man..
- Alternate versionsReduced cut version for Spain running 95 minutes
- ConnectionsFeatured in Twisted Sex Vol. 18 (1998)
The Exquisite Cadaver is a bizarre Euro-horror from director Vicente Aranda, who also gave us the better known The Blood Spattered Bride. Aranda's arthouse style is quite impenetrable a lot of the time, the experimental film-making techniques, 'dreamlike' atmosphere, and offbeat dialogue making the film far too pretentious for my liking. The film is slow-moving, frequently baffling and often very boring, the only good thing about it being the fact that it helped to launch the acting career of the very lovely Matheson, who went on to become a Hammer babe.
2.5/10, rounded down to 2 for the scene where the focus repeatedly shifts between the editor and his wife (Teresa Gimpera) as they robotically deliver their lines - it's incredibly awkward and unintentionally funny.
- BA_Harrison
- Jan 25, 2024
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Exquisite Cadaver
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1