Customer Reviews

Cria

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Finally, it appears, Criterion is getting around to releasing some of the many great Spanish films of the past decades. High time they noticed there have been some astounding Spanish films and directors beyond Luis Buñuel, undoubtedly the great master. But Saura, Berlanga, Bardem, Borau, Erice, Bigas Luna, and quite a few more I could name, have directed some masterpieces that also deserve the special Criterion teatment. After the recent and excellent release of El Espíritu de la Colmena (Spirit of the Beehive), now comes Cría Cuervos, a fascinating parable, somewhere between fantasy and reality, that beyond the too obvious symbolism of a country finally liberating itself from a long dictatorship, it is an intelligent exploration of the scary world of troubled childhood. And Ana Torrent (the same girl of Spirit of the Beehive) speaks volumes just with those incredible dark eyes. My copy is in its way, but I don't doubt Criterion transfer and worthy extras will deserve a 5-star rating.

UPDATING: Having just received my copy, I can say I am very pleased with the excellent transfer of the movie. It looks great. But I am even more impressed by the extras on the second disc:. Mainly, a wonderfully insightful portrait of Carlos Saura (more than one hour long), produced by TVE (state-run Spanish tv) in 2004 -unfortunately in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer-, which I found as interesting as the film itself. Also a 20-minute incredibly candid and perceptive interview in English with Geraldine Chaplin (done for Criterion in 2007 susprisingly not in widescreen). I had the pleasure of interviewing the actress some years back for a Spanish publication and I knew how good and revealing she was in conversation with the press, unlike most film actors. But I was surprised by some of her intimate revelations in this one. Another 8-minute conversation with Ana Torrent shot for the Criterion Collection as well (this one in anamorphic widescreen!) is also welcomed, but should have been conducted in Spanish, as the actress is no so fluent with her English.

I was astonished Amazon is selling this item. As the previous review says this DVD is simply unwatchable; it was probably recorded off a very poor quality VHS tape. I stopped watching after a couple of minutes when I realised this quality was the same throughout the DVD. The irony is that you can only get a partial refund on DVDs that have been opened.

This doesn't deserve even 1 star, stay away from this unwatchable DVD at all costs.

It doesn't dererve even 1 star. Unwatchable quality, worse than a worn out old VHS. The English subtitles are unreadable in large portions of the film (white on white).

A Region 2/PAL DVD with removable English subtitles, and excellent picture quality, is available from many sellers in Europe under the Spanish title "Cría Cuervos". DVDGO is one such seller, find them via your favorite search engine. Don't settle for a terrible quality bootleg.

I too was duped by this incredibly poor quality, obviously bootlegged copy of Cria! I was excited by the possiblity of a DVD version of this wonderful film, but it certainly was too good to be true, thanks to "Miracle Pictures" whoever they are. I really wish I had taken the time to read the reviews before purchasing. I won't make that mistake twice.

I am shocked that Amazon should still be selling such an item, with complaints dating back as far as 2004. PLEASE TAKE IT OFF YOUR CATALOGUE. Someone should do something to prevent this trade in such garbage.

PS. I had to give this 1 star, but really I give it a big 0.

This movie is great of course, but the copy I received is a PIRATE. The disk even has a DVD-R mark in the center of it! Unwatchable, sound is horrible too, the subtitles can't be seen most of the time. Bootleg copied from an old VHS tape for sure! I'm appalled that Amazon is selling this. Very disapponting.

After returning this, I went ahead and ordered the Criterion Collection edition of this movie. That's the official high quality version and also comes with some extras and interviews. The real deal.

Once upon a time, there was a dictator who ruled Spain whose name was Franco. While the most famous Spanish director, Luis Buñuel, left the country to work uninhibited in France and Mexico, and the next generation's most famous director, Almodóvar, was just an infant, Carlos Saura was the director who remained in Spain making films that were critical of the dictatorial regime but escaped the vigilant eyes of the censors because of their subtlety and his use of metaphor and symbolism. Cría is the product of this masterful director who dared to challenge the authoritarian government.
On the surface, it is the story of a young girl, Ana, who is obsessed with death because she witnesses the slow death of her mother from a painful disease; but she also witnesses the infidelities and hypocrisy of the adults that surround her: her father who dies while having intimate relations with a close family friend, an aunt who is left as her guardian who is incapable of affection, and a bawdy maid who doesn't know how to appropriately deal with this young girl.
When one views the film for a second or third time, he/she realizes that it is a scathing indictment of the treatment of women in traditional Spain, the Spain that Franco was intent on re-creating. There is the invalid grandmother, unable to speak, who symbolizes the forced silence of women or, at least, the failure to take them seriously during the Franco era. There is the mother (exquisitely portrayed by Geraldine Chaplin) who sacrifices her career as a budding concert pianist to become a mother and wife (again, the traditional role of the repressed Spanish woman). Her pleas for help and her insistence that she is ill are ignored by her (equally traditional)unfaithful husband because women and their concerns simply were unimportant. Finally there is the adult Ana who appears in a series of stark interviews who is also portrayed by Chaplin to demonstrate that nothing will change from one generation to the next. (The final scene reinforces this idea.)
Symbolism abounds in this film, and all of it leads to a moving description of the role (or lack thereof) that women occupied in Franco's Spain.
In short, along with the film "The Hunt" (La caza) this film remains one of Saura's masterpieces that withstands the test of time and proves to be an historical document of an era as well as a compelling drama in its own right.

"Cria!" tells the story of a little girl named Ana (Ana Torrent), who has lost both of her parents. However, they are still in her thoughts, so this captivating work from writer-director Carlos Saura merges her thoughts with reality. Ana continues to talk with her parents, especially her mother, also named Ana and wonderfully played by Geraldine Chaplin (yes, I was surprised to realize it was her in this film as well). Throughout this film you will be wondering what is real and what is imagination, although it is clear as to which is more important to Ana. It is nice to see that this film appears letterboxed and digitally re-mastered with new subtitles. However, if you can watch this film with somebody who knows Spanish you should get them to tell you the words of the song little Ana keeps singing, because it is that song which is her "cry" in this film. One of the strengths of this film is how Saura using camera angles to reflect the little girl's perspective on the world. This is an intelligent as well as an affective portrayal of a young child dealing with the loss of her parents. Originally released in Spain as "Cria Cuervos," this film won the Cannes Festival Special Jury Prize.

I had long looked forward to seeing this superb Spanish movie on DVD. "Cria" {1976} is a masterpiece in the political movie genre, a telling critique of the baleful effects of Franco's Fascist regime on Spanish society as seen through the eyes of a little girl. Ana Torrent, at only age 9, delivers one of the best performances by a child actor I have ever seen.

But who is responsible for this cheap, amaterish DVD production? It is much worse than the 1988 VHS edition, with washed-out and grainy textures and with the subtitles virtually unreadable.

It is a disaster. Carlos Saura-the writer-director, Ana Torrent and the other excellent makers and performers of this great movie deserve so much better.

Maybe Criterion will sometime give this great movie the care and attention it deserves, like they did recently for the great 1952 French film "Forbidden Games".

Blaine in Seattle.

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Cría cuervos known in Ebglish as "Raise Crows" is about three sisters focusing on the middle one (Ana Torrent) and her childhood after the death of her parents. The film drifts through time and reality as she has visions of her dead mother (Geraldine Chaplin).

I found the film to be very well made and an excellent inclusion of the Spanish pop song "Porque te vas" by Jeanette. I had never heard of the song before watching this and really like the style of the song.

The film is said to be based on the end of an era in Spain. The film was made while Franco was dying and is based on what was to come afer he died.

The special features are as follows. Disc one contains the film with the theatrical trailer. Disc two contains "Portrait of Carlos Saura" a documentary on Saura's films. There are also interviews with Ana Torrent and Geraldine Chaplin.