Product Details

• Actors: Geraldine Chaplin, Mónica Randall, Florinda Chico, Ana Torrent, Héctor Alterio
• Directors: Carlos Saura
• Writers: Carlos Saura
• Producers: Elías Querejeta, Pedro El Samu
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Original recording remastered, Widescreen, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 16, 2000
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0780021223
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,334 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In haunting memories, a woman relives the disturbing summer of her father's death. Outside her father's bedroom door, the nine-year-old Ana hears him making love to his best friend's wife, then take his last gasp of breath. When, years earlier, her mother died of cancer, Ana blamed her father; now she blames herself for his demise. In Saura's compelling vision of the child's world, past and present blend imperceptibly. Fantasy and reality become one as dead characters take their place beside the living. Cria! is graced by two remarkable actresses: Ana Torrent (The Spirit of the Beehive) as the guilt-ridden girl and Geraldine Chaplin (Peppermint Frappe) as both the grown-up Ana and her deceased mother.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How can Amazon sell this?, December 5, 2004

By 

C. I. Teixeira (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cria (DVD)

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.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unwatchable quality, July 22, 2004

By 

A. Sevi - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cria (DVD)

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).

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CRIA CUERVOS... Y TE SACARÁN LOS OJOS, August 9, 2007

By 

Bartolome Mesa Gil "TOLO" (Malaga, SPAIN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cria Cuervos (The Criterion Collection) (DVD)

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.