Customer Reviews

Bodas de sangre

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I saw this film a number of years ago, but still remember vividly the passion of the dance and the film style. I feel that it is fitting that this piece of literature should have been translated into flamenco, because de Lorca was a great lover of the art form. I study flamenco with a woman from Cadiz, Spain, who sings and dances many of the great songs that he wrote the lyrics for, and she says that he was often quoted as saying that flamenco was deeper than the deepest part of the deepest ocean. So, I guess it goes to say that this is a film not to be merely watched, but intensly felt, as not only the story of Blood Wedding, but in the duende, or soul, of the dancers portraying it. If you are looking for mere entertainment, this is not for you. If you are looking for something to engage your passions, soul, and mind--take a look.

I saw this film in Lyon, France in 1981 and it is still my favorite movie of all time and I can't even dance! It is not about dancing...but the dancing makes it powerful and moving. An unforgettable story. Where can I buy it?

This is a great movie. Beautiful dancing, Spanish with subtitles. It shows preparation for a performance of a dance interpretation of Garcia Lorca's play and the actual performance. There are two other dance videos by this director that are also great, Carmen and the Night of the Magician (I think, a piece by Falla) I have been looking for this one!

Obviously we can obtain the general melee of film at our local video BARNS, but if we can't obtain this from you folks, well...there's something amiss.

This, as said above, is a masterpiece in film as well as in dancing (Flamenco) terms. A group of dancers stages "bodas de sangre" in a small dance hall, transporting you to Garcia Lorca's play almost magically. This Flamenco is the most courageous and character and personality-filled dance, compared only probably to bullfighting itself.

The story: Two universes collide 1) a young and handsome groom soon to marry a bride, the happy mother of the groom and a bride who is in love with a married man 2) the family of the married man; himself (Antonio Gades who by the way is THE MONSTER personality here), his wife who suspects he is in love with the bride and their baby son. The collision takes place in the middle of a Spanish town soon to celebrate the wedding.

If you read Garcia Lorca's play you will learn that the married man belongs to a family of lovers and killers, all in the words of the mother of the groom.

The first general scene reveals a central part of the first universe: the mother and the groom rehearsing and getting ready for the wedding. The groom is so filled with joy, his eyes glitter for what is soon to happen. The mother warns that he should not take his knife; "he will not be needing it". "I'll use it to cut a flower for you" he says (everything is done dancing since no word is spoken but music). Nevertheless the mother insists; the knife stays.

The second general scene is in the house of the married man. His wife rocks their son in the cradle while the most beautiful song is sung. He arrives and she accuses him of caring little for the house, of spending too much time out. She tries to tell him "Can't you see that I love you?" but he shows little care for her; he wants to lift his son in arms but she denies him of touching his son in reprisal. This man is suffering for his lover, the bride who is to marry soon. He parts to the streets leaving his wife irritated (to say the least) but clearly passionately in love and longing for him.

Third scene, married man and bride dream about each other or else have a last loving encounter and then dream about each other (all dancing). They show their pain in the most beautiful flamenco while the acting is superb.

Next people from the town go to hail the bride to the wedding with another wonderful song "Despierte la novia que despierte, ruede la ronda que ruede" (Wake up the bride for the morning of her wedding). You will hear a "haaaaa" being sung at the end of this other song that will remind you of the English Patient and thus of the Arabic occupation of Spain that took place for over 600 years. She throws her bouquet to the ground in denial and refusal; a girl friend picks it up to put it back into her hands.

The wedding starts and the most wonderful "pasodoble" is the second song sung: "Sombrero". It is a song to "my" black hat, "you who have witnessed so many kisses and love promises to so many beautiful girls that now cry in sight of their deceit; so many promises (of mine) carried away by the wind" (ha!). If any English speaking person could study the lyrics to this song she would find it fascinating. It is almost a guy in love with his hat and thus with himself and reveals a little of Gades' character, who is about to steel the bride. At a point the pasodoble says: "My sombrero, you that has such a bullfighting way about you (such a bullfighting -meaning proud and courageous way about you- whenever I take you to the bullfights". Is that not pure poetry? Is it not to grasp the strength and intensity of these intense feelings of mental youth, towards what all art aspires to? BTW a wonderful "wedding picture" piece is majestically performed in this section.

The bride dances "sombrero" with several attendants to the wedding. Antonio Gades circles the dance like a shark waiting for the kill, wearing his black hat. Suddenly he has his chance to dance with the bride. They are split by the wife of the married man who senses too much passion in this seemingly courteous gesture of the bride to one of her guests.

The dance goes on as the wife of the married man and the bride seem to defy each other with flamenco steps as each guarding her turf. The bride (Cristina Hoyos in real life) makes the hairs in your whole body stand up.

The bride excuses herself for a while but actually runs away in a horse with the married man. The wife of the married man comes crashing into the dance with loud and firm flamenco steps denouncing and pointing towards the road taken by the departed, the bride and her longed for husband. So she would rather have him killed that have him abandon her?

The mother of the groom takes a knife (just like the one she had previously withheld) from a guest and gives it to his son. The son takes it and runs after her bride (by now wife since the wedding actually took place) but after a few steps feels weak-in-the-knees and turns to her mother for any expression. The mother with a simple gesture tells him "you must find the courage within you; go kill him".

A party of men goes with the groom after the bride and the married man, all on horseback. It is the groom that finds them. They both get down from their horses, take out their knifes and have the most extraordinary dance piece you have ever witnessed in slow motion, not achieved by the camera, but by the dancers themselves. Knifes swing by neck and gut on both sides while the bride, hysterically and beside herself is screaming in agony like a Picasso painting (of course not a scream is heard but only the music and the hea! hea! hea! from the singers; a hea which is used to say "hea toro!" "hea toro venga!" and thus is an incitation to courage, a "c'mon, give me all you got". So you say -hea!- too to a fine spanish horse when asking from him a collected proud gallop).

I have probably told you a lot and this little of the ending I will not spoil, but if you own or see this film you will find yourself one of the luckiest people alive. You will never want it to leave your side and, as with the English Patient, you will see it over and over again. The plot BTW is exactly the same as ThEP, will the ending be too?

Javier Bonilla C.

It is a flamenco film...Saura style...Gades is a great dancer but the real treat here is the appearance of the magnificent Pepa Flores, the once known singer and actress named Marisol. A superb voice added to the lullaby...what a treat!!!! The few snapshots of her are worth it as is the sound of her voice through the scene. Don't miss it!!

I WISH THIS WERE AVAILABLE AS WELL AS CARMEN. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE MORE VIDEOS OF THIS QUALITY INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT DRECK THAT IS AVAILABLE?

You don't even need to know Spanish if you're willing to wait until the introductory material of the dancers preparing for the final rehearsal is past. (Yes, there are subtitles in English.) Because the play's story is "straight-line" it can be indicated in the dance. If you enjoyed "Riverdance" and the movie Carmen (in which the same dance troup performs) you will enjoy this. Even if you didn't see those, if you enjoy rhythm and style, you will like this.

Better, impossible!! Carlos Saura is great in making this film, but he is smart enough to choose one of the greatest masterpieces of Spaniard culture from an all-time poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. I whish I could buy this film as well as some others from this great director.

Bodas de Sangre-la obra maestra de Carlos Saura donde el bailarin y coreografo español Antonio Gades nos da una muestra de la magnificencia del genial Garcia Lorca a traves del flamenco. Gades esta sensacional al igual que su cuerpo de ballet. Cabe mencionar la magnifica interpretacion de "La Nana" por una de las mejores voces femeninas de España, la grandiosa Pepa Flores mejor conocida como Marisol. Lastima que el "soundtrack" de esta joya visual y musical no este accesible. Ver los bailes y oir a la diva española Marisol, bien vale la pena.