Torremolinos 73

'Torremolinos 73' is the proof that Spanish cinema is nowadays one of the best in the world, and that Almodovar is not the only one who makes it deserve this honor. Pablo Berger is the director and this is only his second film, but the work is of a mature creator, mastering the subject, with a deep understanding of the time the plot happens, with a strong hand in directing his actors, while leaving them enough space for creativity.

The plot happens in 1973, a moment before the fascist dictatorship in Spain fell, and Spain re-joined the family of democratic nations. A not so young couple anticipates in a way the cultural and economic revolution all Spain will go soon, by acting and producing porno movies for the Scandinavian market under the pretext of 'researching reproduction morals in different countries'. The film tells a lot about the process of transition between dictatorship and democracy and its moral risks, about the contrast between tradition and liberal morals, about the relation between pornography and art. All is done in good taste, even the soft core porno scenes are justified for a change. The actors are wonderful, they create empathy with the viewer, and they are credible as characters.

9 out of 10 on my personal scale.

When I saw the poster of "Torremolinos 73" at my favorite movie theater, it was clear: I had to see that movie.

I expected 90 minutes of bursting out laughing. Let's say, that wasn't exactly the case.

It sure has its moments of incredible comedy but, surprisingly, also moments of real tragedy and drama. I was quite stunned.

In the end, the story is absolutely original, I wouldn't know about anything similar, the actors all do a great job, the dialog is mostly very nice and all this ends up in a fine little piece of entertainment.

Not perfect, not amazing, but amusing and entertaining? Definitely!

My wife is kinda obsessed with non-American filmography and she insists on watching every non-American movie on a theater near us. Well, I can't say I am a fan of Hollyweird myself - on the contrary - but I like the independents and on occasion I can even rent a blockbuster for a couple of popcorn hours at home.

So, she dragged me (almost literally) to said theater to watch "a Spanish comedy". She's an avid Almodovar fan (I am not) and so gets pretty much excited over Spanish films.

We went into the theater along with 15 (yes, fifteen) other spectators... not much of an atmosphere, huh? I was not fairly predisposed towards the film, to say the least.

After the two hours have passed, though, I was in love with this little gem! Torremolinos '73 is a very smart film, and has lots to give to any open-minded person, especially if said person has a decent knowledge of Bergman's films.

The first part is extremely funny. Especially the scenes with the couple shooting the ...educating movies, are hilarious. Irony is all over the place, subtle references to Frankist Spain are obvious to those who know what they should look about, but everything serves the purpose to have a good laugh, even if you have to actually think about the film to do so.

The second part is not as funny, but I almost wet myself while the aspiring director Bergman-wannabe shoots a number of scenes with his utterly talent-less wife, imitating every last cadre of a Bergman film! To sum this up: If you are not annoyed by ample nudity (I have to say this since IMDb is also accessed by... ahem... cultures not quite fond of nudity), you like witty (the Spanish way) humor and you are a bit of a Bergman-geek (does such an animal even exist???) you are going to adore Torremolinos '73, as I did.

Probably the best comedy (by far...) I watched this summer.

I found this to be a captivating and entertaining movie - great pains were taken to reproduce that 70's look and feel and it is totally convincing. While seemingly limited in their ambitions, the main characters are nevertheless sympathetic and there are some quirky sidekicks whose characters are fleshed out enough to be entertaining as well - everyone from the landlady, the boss, to the friend who drives. I also found myself seriously enjoying the director's X-rated version of an Ingmar Bergman film over the actual film it self. The woman doesn't have much ambition aside from being "womanly" but it is based on a true incident and hey it was the 70's in Spain.

I think everyone is being a tad harsh on this film, there is no way they could have kept the pace of the first half of the film up it would have been exhausting.Seeing this film in a packed cinema @ cornerhouse certainly helped, seen Candela Pena in two films recently she shines in both.As for the second half of the film & the transition from comedy to drama the laughs didn't dry up they just were a bit more subtle i thought he bergman stuff especially carrying the sithe on the rollercoaster & playing chess on the pedolo was hilarious. An honourable debut for me it looked like the seventies, all brown & beige. The donkey bit was very funny, definitely not subtle.