L'Esprit de la ruche

Original title: El espíritu de la colmena

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

22K

YOUR RATING

Isabel Tellería and Ana Torrent in L'Esprit de la ruche (1973)

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Coming-of-Age Dark Fantasy Psychological Drama Supernatural Fantasy Drama Fantasy

In 1940, after watching and being traumatized by the movie Frankenstein (1931), a sensitive seven-year-old girl living in a small Spanish village drifts into her own fantasy world.In 1940, after watching and being traumatized by the movie Frankenstein (1931), a sensitive seven-year-old girl living in a small Spanish village drifts into her own fantasy world.In 1940, after watching and being traumatized by the movie Frankenstein (1931), a sensitive seven-year-old girl living in a small Spanish village drifts into her own fantasy world.

Director
- Víctor Erice
Writers
- Ángel Fernández Santos
- Víctor Erice
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

22K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Víctor Erice
Writers
- Ángel Fernández Santos
- Víctor Erice
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 wins & 1 nomination total

Videos1

Trailer 3:40

Tráiler [OV]

Photos83

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Cinematographer Luis Cuadrado was going blind at the time this film was made. An assistant would take Polaroids of the scenes and Cuadrado would direct the lighting by looking through a magnifying glass at these pictures. In 1980 Cuadrado committed suicide after he went completely blind and the tumor in his brain became too painful to face.

Goofs
When the fugitive jumps from the train and rolls down the hill, he's wearing boots, but in the next shot he's wearing low-cut shoes.

Quotes
Ana: [unable to sleep] Isabel?
Isabel: [opening her eyes] What?
Ana: [whispering] Tell me what you were going to tell me.
Isabel: [whispering] About what?
Ana: The movie.
Isabel: Not now... Tomorrow.
Ana: Now... You promised. Why did he kill the girl, and why did they kill him after that?... You don't know - you're a liar.
Isabel: They didn't kill him, and he didn't kill the girl.
Ana: How do you know? How do you know they didn't die?
Isabel: Everything in the movies is fake. It's all a trick. Besides, I've seen him alive.
Ana: Where?
Isabel: In a place I know near the village. People can't see him. He only comes out at night.
Ana: Is he a ghost?
Isabel: No, he's a spirit.
Isabel: Like the spirit Dona Lucia talks about?
Isabel: Yes, but spirits have no bodies. That's why you can't kill them.
Ana: But he had one in the movie. He had arms and feet. He had everything.
Isabel: It's a disguise they put on when they go outside...
Ana: If he only comes out at night, how can you talk to him?
Isabel: I told you he was a spirit. If you're his friend, you can talk to him whenever you want. Just close your eyes and call him... It's me, Ana... It's me Ana...
[they hear what sounds like ominous footsteps and are silent]

Connections
Featured in Sus años dorados (1980)

Soundtracks
Ojos verdes
Written by Salvador Valverde (as Valverde), Rafael de León (as León) y Manuel L. Quiroga (as Quiroga)

User reviews111

Featured review

10/10

Ana Torrent, Ana Torrent and Ana Torrent.

Has a child performer given as pure and brilliant a performance as Ana Torrent did in Victor Erice's allegorical masterpiece? This film has everything going for it; great performances, a honey hued atmosphere courtesy of Luis Cuadrado's genius as a cinematographer, and subtle, dreamy direction by Mr. Erice. I had often heard many works described as "dreams" in particular Bergman's works ("The Silence," "Hour of the Wolf"). As far as I'm concerned, this film ranks right beside the works of the master. It is an intense and involving work of art, which beckons us to look at a violent world, through the eyes of the children populating the screen. Many images stand out; among them the girls jumping over a fire and Ana sitting next to the "monster." This film should be seen by anyone who appreciates brilliant cinema. It will not dissapoint you, I guarantee.