Customer Reviews

Butterfly [VHS]

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"Butterfly" ("Mariposa" in Spanish) is a Spanish film set in 1936, in the pre-stages of the Spanish Civil War.
Filmed in the standard European method (i.e., very well!), this film brings together Moncho (a young boy), his family, his village and its politics, and an aging school teacher, who only wants to teach that everyone should live free (or "at least one generation of Spaniards should live free!"). It is a heartwarming and heartbreaking film about the struggles, internally and outwardly: of trying to grow up and understand an adult world that seems bizarre at best, of wrestling with a myriad of political "solutions" facing the country at the time (which pitted Church against king against the fascists against the communists, thus leaving innocent Moncho completely confused.

The film quite adequately carries these themes and, alas, with no happy conclusion (it's not Hollywood, after all!). Moncho sees this adult world come crashing down upon his own sensibilities, and being six years old, find himself unable not only to cope with it but not to be able to understand it at all, try as hard as he may. Politics wins out, at least at this time and civil liberties (certainly a stranger to Spain at that time in history) once more fall by the camino real.

"Butterfly" makes a striking statement about the Human Condition, and how some cope, some reject, some distort, and some accept it. Seen from the perspective of Americans who seem to take civil liberties for granted, freedom on every corner, and rights in abundance, we can only feel saddened that these citizens know not freedom's ring. We do know, however, even though perhaps in another venue, the heartbreak of deception, of lost love, of being manipulated by false forces.
This is a powerful film that, subtitles aside (American audiences don't always "accept" them!), is worth the effort.

"Butterfly" is an absorbing story about young, innocent brothers of a tailor living in Spain just before the civil war begins, and as you already may guess, it begins sweetly and ends sadly. The focus of the film is set on the relationship between the younger brother Moncho and his retiring old teacher. And around them well-drawn people of a Spanish village in winter, 1936, are portrayed.

You may think historical knowledge is needed; actually, though it helps, not exactly necessary. The film skillfully tells a chain of episodes about a Chinese girl (with whom elder brother falls in love) or a woman who seems more attracted to her dog than to her lover. But the most impressive scene is, as everyone would agree, the heart-rending ending. Probably, interpretation of the scene in point would differ among viewers (listen the boy's last word; it's the key), but as to its stunning reality revealing the innate weakness of human beings, no one would disagree. Is the friendship between the boy and the teacher really ended? The director, I think, took the best course, leaving the answer up to us. Mine is that it is a hopeful one. The teacher knows, and underdstands, the kid had to do it. I'd like to think so.

The film's script was made from Manuel Rivas's original book, collection of short stories, and the film used several stories to compose the whole story, so this process may explain a little slack development of the film. Sometimes "Butterfly" suffers from a loose connection between rather irrelevant episodes, but it is saved by its wonderful photography capturing the beauty of the country. Remember, the story is slow, but the entire film finally makes up for it. It is sad, but not without hope.

One thing more: the film's music was composed by Alejandro Amenabar, director of "Open Your Eyes" (later remade as "Vanilla Sky") and "The Others." He is responsible for the music of those two movies, too.

'La Lengua de las mariposas' (BUTTERFLY) is a small miracle of a film, one of those magical experiences that reminds us about the beauty of life but also about the realities of living in a world ruled by politics and adversity and how all of that affects the vulnerable child. The Spanish title refers to the tongue of the butterfly that must trust the throat of a flower to deliver its nectar and at the same time the flower must trust the deliverer of its procreation. And there is much to be found in that brief title.

The time is 1936 in the region of Galicia in Spain when the country is on the verge of a civil war. We meet Moncho (Manuel Lozano, an amazing child actor) who is also known as Sparrow, who lives with his tailor father and housewife mother and older brother Andrés (Alexis de los Santos) who plays the saxophone. Moncho is to begin school and is terrified of being ridiculed because of the breathing apparatus he must carry to treat his asthma. But to school he goes and there he is taken under the wing of the kind old teacher Don Gregorio (the brilliant Fernando Fernán Gómez) who gently introduces Moncho to the finer things in education - the observation of nature and the miracles of life. Moncho makes friends with Roque (Tamar Novas) and together the lads discover some of the realities of life: they observe a bizarre sexual encounter which later will reveal much about Moncho's family, and they begin to learn about the political adversity that colors the lives of the conservative Catholic little community. Andrés falls in love with a Chinese girl and therein lies another complex lesson in life. Eventually the political life comes to a head and the entry of Franco's regime divides the people between republicanism and communism, and Moncho must face the cruelties that befall his mentor as he must side with his family. And the effect of the loving, meaningful relationship between teacher and pupil is left for the viewer to decide.

As directed by José Luis Cuerda and written by Cuerda and Rafael Azcona based on stories by Galician writer and journalist Manuel Rivas, the film, while always a work of great beauty and tenderness, feels a bit fragmented at times, probably due to the fact that separate stories were combined in one film, leaving portions of some sidebars with an incomplete resolution. But the wonder of the film lies in the acting by both Fernando Fernán Gómez and Manuel Lozano who together create a memorable bond that already has become a cinematic gold standard. The cinematography by Javier G. Salmones and the simple but note perfect musical score by Alejandro Amenábar set standards for Spanish filmmaking.

This is a story to inform and to remind us how we as human beings are prone to follow external influences more than obeying our hearts and caring for our souls. BUTTERFLY paints a vivid portrait of Spain on the knife of revolution and the effects such changes can make in the eyes of a child. It is a brilliant little movie. In Spanish and Latin with English subtitles. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, January 07

This film is about a shy, intelligent little boy who is nurtured by a wonderful, aging teacher. To see the old man imparting knowledge to these children is very touching.

It is also about the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, and how war can twist people, causing them to behave in dispicable ways. I don't want to say too much, lest I give away the marvelous end.

But I recommend this movie 100%. It is wonderful for its moral, but also for the lovely performances.

Butterfly is a lyrical and poetic account of how the human conflicts of the Spanish Civil War ravaged relationships in a Spanish village .

Beautifully filmed , this is the story of a young boy and his much respected teacher ; it is a story predominantly about loss of innocence .

A must for anyone who has been moved by Cinema Paradiso or Il Postino , and for Hispanophiles of all ages everywhere !

( Have a box of Kleenex handy ! )

I thought this film was another title. I wanted a French film called LE PAPILLON, about an older gentleman who becomes a grandfather-like figure to a young girl, but I wasn't too careful and selected BUTTERFLY figuring it was an English translation of the title. When I viewed it and saw a little boy instead of a little girl, discovered that the older man was a teacher and not a grandfather, and the dialogue was in Spanish, not French, that I realized I had the wrong title. I decided to keep the title and watch it, and discovered a beautiful and moving film.

The story begins in an idyllic time and setting: Spain in the days prior to the Fascist revolution. It appears to be a simpler time and the colorful village life is not unlike the two French films MY MOTHER'S CASTLE and its companion MY FATHER'S GLORY. The story revolves around a young boy named Moncho and his first year in school. He is taught by the gentle Don Gregorio, a wise man who also knows the importance of training young minds. We also see a loving older/younger brother relationship develop between Moncho and Andrea, a budding musician who believes he is one saxophone lesson away from becoming a musical Dom Juan. He also has a close friend Rocque. Whatever the teacher cannot teach him, Moncho believes Rocque and Andrea will. We see Moncho grow under his teacher's guidance, yet as the film progresses, we know something terrible is about to happen which occurs when the tremors of the fascist revolt touch their town and the townspeople become divided based more on fear than conviction. The film is poignant largely because of the way its innocent beginning changes and has a tragic end, reminding us how strong self preservation can be, and how easily young minds can learn hate.

I've ordered LE PAPILLON and know that I'll finally see the film I wanted to see in the first place, but I'm glad I also have BUTTERFLY in my collection.

Enjoy!!!

La pelicula se basa en un libro que consta de una serie de cuentos escrito por el joven escritor gallego, Manuel Rivas. La coleccion se llama "Que me quieres, Amor?". Fernando Fernan Gomez, el gran actor y novelista espanol, protagoniza un maestro de colegio que influye la vida de sus alumnos, y en particular, la de un alumno encantador a quien le pone el nombre "Gorrion". El pequeno se llama Moncho y la trama que desarrolla entre alumno y maestro tendra al espectador maravillado por la belleza y el poder de la obra cinematografica. Le hara a uno reir, sonreir, sentir y llorar al final. Hay que verla!

This film is so extremely heart-warming throughout ... until the very end ... when it becomes exactly the opposite, heart-breaking. The story is completly absorbing and fascinating. The viewer is captivated and caught up in the lives of Mancho a young boy who begins school for the first time, his older brother who plays the saxophone who later finds a Chinese girl with whom he falls in love, his father a tailor, and his teacher Don Gregorio. The kind elderly teacher helps Mancho adjust in many ways by providing personalized individual attention. He helps open his mind to learning about nature and literature. Mancho has asthma and his mother worries about how this will affect her son during school. In one scene, Don Gregorio helps Mancho avert a respiratory crisis ... In gratitude for the help given to his son, Mancho's father makes a new suit for the teacher, free of charge. This innocent act will eventually be turned into something cruel and unexpected when the political climate of civil war causes the citizens to denounce each other ...

There are numerous endearing scenes between Mancho and Don Gregorio as the teacher mentors his young pupil. Mancho also learns many things about life and the world in the manner boys often learn, from friends. For example, he and his friend visit the local tavern where a male patron describes/brags to the local bartender about his physical love relationship with a local female. The two boys follow the patron to her home where they spy on their liason ... One of the funniest scenes is when the ladies dog, Tarzan tries to bite the boyfriend's naked butt as he is engaging in making love to her. The boyfriend is enraged by the dog and his constant barking and later exacts revenge in a very cruel manner ...

This film shows how fear and the threat of persecution can cause ordinairily good people to become cruel. It shows how the mob mentality takes over when one's own life is at stake. The sad fact is, it is the survival instinct which kicks in. It is something we all possess and very few people can rise above the crowd to do the moral and right thing ...
Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

For most of its running time, this story of growing up in 1930s Spain envelops the audience in a cloud of gentle, lyrical nostalgia. The evocation of long-lost boyhood is realized beautifully through the exquisite photography and the fine performances, particularly that of Fernando Fernan Gomez as a kindly, dedicated teacher. But as the shadows of the Spanish Civil War creep over the story, the action gradually gets nastier, building to an ending which is as shocking as it is tearjerking. "Butterfly," beautiful and bitterly poignant, reminds me of "To Kill a Mockingbird"--if Atticus, Scout and Jem had all joined the lynch mob against Tom Robinson.

This is a well made film, it was released in 1999, the DVD in 2001, with English subtitles and some attempt at special features - director's notes, writer's notes and full credits and filmographies. The film is set in
1935 - 36 and is charming enough and the actors more than competent, particularly Fernando Fernan-Gomez (born 1921 in Argentina and died in Madrid November 2007) who must be the grand old man of Spanish cinema. Moncho, the 7 year old star of the film is quite endearing, and for its first 80 minutes the film could almost be a Marcel Pagnol family adventure. But there are rumblings of unease of course - some real and some allegorical. Even Moncho is tainted by the eruption of civil unrest.
The introduction to the film, which features black and white photos from the period, is very interesting,and the film itself quite charming, but to me it lacked impact. As I say, the idyllic opening 80 minutes tended to undermine the forcefulness of the final 10 minutes - and the transformation of Moncho and his family in this interval was somewhat shocking but easily anticipated.
A trivial aside - why is (The) Butterfly's Tongue being marketed as 'Butterfly?' Or is this an Amazon initiative?