Tu nombre envenena mis sueños

Ambitious drama with acceptable atmosphere and nice production design by Gil Parrondo , though falls flat and is regularly developed . Spanish drama/thriller/suspense movie about killings , treason and political intrigue . Madrid 1942 , in Retiro Park happens a murder , as two Police Inspectors Ángel Barciela (Carmelo Gómez) and Paco Valduque (Ángel Andrés López) carry out the assignment to discover the culprit . A bit later on , other two murders take place . They find out the three killed men were hidden tenants -during Spanish civil war- from Buendía family formed by Enrique (Miguel Palenzuela) , Pilar (Montserrat Carulla) and their sons : Julia (Emma Suárez) and Luis Buendía (Aitor Merino) . The three lodgers belonged to the ¨fifth column¨ from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) when Madrid was really besieged . Soon after , Ángel Barciela falls in love for Julia Buendía whose former boyfriend (Tony Cantó) , a communist militant , was killed during the deadly war .

This is an acceptable film that packs thrills , suspense , love stories , twists and turns . Thrilling film with intrigue , plot twists but slow , deliberately paced and ultimately turns out to be a little boring . The story fails when deals with historical-political deeds , including a flawed , confuse , embarrassing screenplay and surprising finale . Based on the homonymous novel by the politician Joaquin Leguina , whose title is taken from a poem by Luis Cernuda and with script by Ricardo Franco , Pilar Miró and uncredited Ángeles González Sinde . Developed by means of flashbacks set in three periods that interweave the difficult story : during the Spanish Civil war in Madrid siege , the forties (1942) and early fifties (1952) . The picture bears some remarkable resemblances to ¨Beltreneros¨ by Miró in which there is also a resourceful professional who investigates crimes and he is keen on a beautiful Femme Fatale . Nice acting all around , Cármelo Gómez and Emma Suarez make a perfect couple , and deliver a deep chemical . Although the picture gives more importance the unconvincing role of Police Inspector than the calculating , cold woman with whom he has a loving relationship . The picture contains a lot of inter-courses , nude men-women and love scenes in soft-core style . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space ; being rightly filmed on location in Madrid . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood . Here stands out the emotive and inspired musical score by the great José Nieto .

The film gives a detailed description of the ¨Fifth column¨. It is any group who undermine a larger group—such as a nation or a besieged city—from within, usually in favor of an enemy group or nation. The activities of a fifth column can be overt or clandestine. Forces gathered in secret can mobilize openly to assist an external attack. This term is also extended to organized actions by military personnel. Clandestine fifth column activities can involve acts of sabotage, disinformation, or espionage executed within defense lines by secret sympathizers with an external forcé . In fact , Emilio Mola, a Nationalist general during the Spanish Civil War, told a journalist in 1936 that as his four columns of troops approached Madrid, a "fifth column" of supporters inside the city would support him and undermine the Republican government from within . The term was then widely used in Spain . Ernest Hemingway used it as the title of his only play, which he wrote in Madrid while the city was being bombarded, and published in 1938 in his book The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Pilar Miro . In 1982 Pilar was designated General Director of Cinema . She was an expert filmmaker of Television episodes and occasionally for cinema , getting some successes , such as ¨La Petición¨, ¨The dog in the manger¨ or ¨El Perro del Hortelano¨, ¨The bird of happiness¨ , ¨Werther¨ , and especially ¨The Cuenca crime¨ that had big hit . But also had some flops as ¨Hablamos Esta Noche¨ ,¨Beltreneros¨ that failed at the box office . "Your Name Poisons My Dreams" resulted to have a limited success , in spite of a very good cast cast , luxurious set production and enjoyable atmosphere . Rating : 6/10 , decent and passable .

Perhaps my ignorance of Spanish cinema should disqualify me from commenting, but I was very touched by this film. As our Spanish reviewer has commented, the cinematography and the music were notable. For me the story, the acting, and the themes were captivating. If Spanish cinema gets better than this, I don't know if I can bear it. I also find the sound of European Spanish very appealing, but there's my naiveté again, alas. What is it that familiarity breeds? (Now must I really find more to say? How silly that our hosts would require us to look for further commentary. Five or six lines should be plenty. Please forgive me...)

Pilar Miró is rather like a complicated irregular verb – difficult to conjugate. Having directed only 10 films up to her sudden death, Ms. Miró left for us a few films which can be highly appreciated: `El Perro del Hortelano', `Beltenebros' and `El Crimen de Cuenca'. However, `Tu Nombre Envenena mis Sueños' is rather a long way from this category. Ms. Miró in the first named films showed she was very well able to place us in a historical context and/or in a period piece setting with an excellent eye for detail in her scene-building, costuming and so on.

But in `Tu Nombre Envenena mis Sueños' everything misfires rather awkwardly. Whether this is due to Joaquín Leguina's novel not being the most appropriate vehicle for putting on screen, may well be very debatable, or whether Ms. Miró's evident irregularity in her film-making is to blame. Even with the help of Ricardo Franco (`Lágrimas Negras')(qv) as co-scriptwriter, the film just does not manage to clamber out of being somewhat mediocre.

Perhaps part of the blame can be identified by there having been too many Spanish films in the last twenty five years which have resorted to using the Franco Era and the Civil War for the basis of the story or simply as some kind of irritating scapegoat. You cannot keep on raking up old burnt out ashes indefinitely, especially if you do not have anything new to say. Therein lies my quibble for this film: `Tu Nombre Envenena mis Sueños' backfires uncomfortably. Neither José Nieto's excellent music nor Maestro Javier Aguirresarobe's superb cinematography could save this ‘noir' thriller from sinking into something rather unstomachable.

Carmelo Gómez and Emma Suárez were neither inspired nor inspiring: one just could not care less what became of them. Gómez has also been rather irregular: fine in Armendáriz's `Secretos del Corazón' (qv), and acceptable in `El Perro del Hortelano', and weak in `Mararía' (qv). Emma Suárez was very good in `Pintadas' (qv) as well as in `El Perro del Hortelano', and acceptable enough in a number of other films; but in this last film by Ms. Miró, Gómez and Suárez together (again) just did not convince; the chemistry was lacking, the acting seemed nor more than ritual habit.

A body mysteriously turns up in El Retiro, Madrid's central park, and from there gabardined men playing detectives stroll around cemeteries and lugubrious bars and around dutifully attired Emma Suárez in totally unbefitting 1936 hair-do. Dancing couples prance around the dance-floor totally unsynchronised to the popular song `Mi Jaca', or go through mechanised movements vaguely related to the `Tango'. In any case, I might just as well have been watching a film about Elliot Ness.

If you want to see Spanish Cinema, you can pass this one up; it has nothing to offer apart from its music and photography.