Customer Reviews

The Girl of Your Dreams

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

LA NINA DE TUS OJOS is one of Fernando Trueba's greatest films to date. He has taken a story of an acting troupe (film production company) that flees Fascist Spain for an opportunity to make a 'really huge' film in Hitler's Germany - a country where the director and crew see opportunity in the grandeur of Hitler's expensive self-promotion films. Once there, they discover the sad facts of the Hitler regime, facts which come to play in the crew's choice of gypsy extras to play parts not credible with the German Aryan candidates they encounter. One among these gypsies is a Russian Jew who is ultimately befriended by the troupe and makes their mission to make it big in film less important than to tend to humanity.

The cast is amazingly excellent through and through with exceptional comedic skills as well as dramatic ones. The head of the film crew is Blas Fontiveros (Antonio Resines) who functions with his German sponsors through the multilingual translator Vaclav (Miroslav Taborsky). The stars of the company are Macarena (Penelope Cruz at her best) and Julian (Jorge Sanz) whose love lives intermingle with the project at hand (Macarena with Blas, Julian with any available fan including Henrich - Gotz Otto!). The production falls under the eye of the evil Dr Goebbels (Johannes Silberschneider) who tries to seduce Macarena.
Others in this talented company include roles for Rosa Maria Sarda, Santiago Segura, Neus Asensi, Loles Leon, and Karel Dobry (as Leo, the tender salvaged Russian Jew).

To some this may appear as yet another Hollywood-type, behind the scenes type movie, but with this cast and the sensitve direction of Trueba it is so very much more. Beautifully photographed and scored, this is a film that deserves a wider audience - especially if you love films from the always creative Spanish cinema. Grady Harp, November 2004

This film was a great surprise for me. I had no idea it existed until I saw it at the local store ("already-viewed" and at a reduced price) and had to buy it. A Spanish theater troupe is invited to Nazi Germany to film a musical in both Spanish and German. You can just imagine what ensues when their expectations are met with the reality of Nazi Germany!

This film is quite funny, with many ridiculous situations. In addition, if you are a Penelope Cruz fan, you should watch her singing scenes! Nazi Germans are trashed by the Spanish theater troupe. The film director (who also directed the wonderful film "Belle Epoque") cleverly mixes everything up until there is no way back but ... I am not telling you more.

This was a very entertaining film , that won many awards in it's native Spain but for some reason was not released in the United States. Thank God for DVD's or I might never have experienced this fine spectacle. Taking it's cues and paying respect to the great films of Hollywood, with a closing scene reminiscent of Casablanca (Two-Disc Special Edition), witty comedic dialogue throughout, much like the Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers Collection (A Night at The Opera/A Day at The Races/A Night in Casablanca/Room Service/At the Circus/Go West/The Big Store) and gala musical scenes found in Rogers & Hammerstens movies like The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection (The Sound of Music / The King and I / Oklahoma! / South Pacific / State Fair / Carousel), makes this movie quite memorable. Diretor Fernado Trueba, best known for his comedy Belle Epoque delivers what has to be one his best movies. Without spoiling the movie, it would be suffice to say it takes place in Germany during Hitler's Third Reich. The movie is actually factual in basis as a number of Spanish movies were made in Germany during Hitler's time. The movie further unfolds and developes like this. A Spanish film group is making a movie under the ever watchful eyes of the German leadership. Other actors are allowed to be in the movie, treated less than humanely and one leading man, who happens to be a Russian-Jew catches the eye of the leading lady, played by Penelope Cruz,as the lovely Macarena. Various outlandish scenes ensue as the ensemble cast from Spain tries to make a movie. There is alot going on between the various actors and it all makes for a madcap movie. This is Spanish black humor at it's finest. Of particular note is the fine performance by Antonio Resines X (Equis) as the director, known as Blas and Penelope Cruz Open Your Eyes who plays the irresistible Macarena. Her singing and dancing scenes(flamenco) reveal her multi-talents go beyond a pretty face. If you are a Penelope Cruz fan, as I am , than you will love this movie. Everything about this movie is top-notch, the sets, the costuming, the script,the directing; it's all here for the complete package.Recommended for foreign film aficionados and fans of La Pe, the girl of my dreams.

La Nina...has it's moments. Like with many ensemble casts this satirical comedy lacks cohesiveness. There are some decent extra features, including a documentary and outtakes.

The film involves a small, struggling Spanish film company during the late 30's invited to Berlin's UFA studios ostensibly to shoot a propaganda tale about an Andalusian hero, in both German and Spanish versions. But Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels (Johannes Silberschneider) just wants to seduce the starlet Macarena Granados (Penelope Cruz) and without her acquiescence...the films will not be made.

A memorable scene is when Goebbels - whom Macarena nicknames "Go-Balls" - invites the frightened girl to an exclusive dinner for two at a restaurant with requisite string quartet. I don't know if Goebbels had a limp in reality but Silberschneider is a riot (and I think he steals the show) in his portrayal of a lecherous, corrupt cripple. The Minister tries to woo her while dancing and when she breaks her heel, forcing her to limp, I just about fell down from laughing. I can never watch another cable documentary on the Nazis without "Go-Balls" popping into my head, like an unwanted erection.

Penelope Cruz is luminous in her song and dance scene. The camera loves her...and so do I...uh, that's for another review. She shows a wonderful comedic sensibility throughout the film.

An entertaining WWII-era romp, not without substance, but more importantly with Ms. Cruz.

This film "La nina de tus ojos" aka "The Girl in Your Eye" is about a troop of Spaniards that are about to film a very traditional Spanish musical. Unfortunately they cannot film this movie in their own country due to the Spanish Civil War and the fact that Madrid (which is where most of the movie studios were at that time) has been completely conquered by the Republican Army. So they are invited by the UFA (a found German movie studio) to come to Germany and film their musical there.
This of course brings comic as well as dramatic results. For one the German landscape and the landscape of Spain are not the same. Another issue is that the leading German he-man actor of the day is homosexual and he took a liking to Jorge Sanz (the actor who plays the leading man in the Spanish film). The director played by Antonio Resines is the one trying to hold his troop together. Add this to another character actress who feels she is equally as talented as the leading lady (played by Penelope Cruz) and Maria Sarda playing an alcoholic actress in the film. You have your comic elements.
The dramatic ones are the wars. Both German and Spain are involved in their onn wars. The Spanish crew on a night out end up seeing first hand upfront what how the Jews are shot on the spot and their businesses burned to the ground.
In the filming of the musical for one of the main numbers "La Piconera" the extras are concentration camp prisoners that are about to be executed. They are dressed like gypsies and forced to participate in the making of the film.
Cruz's character is having an affair with the director. Divorce in Spain is not allowed. He has to make a decision to let her go as he can offer her no future life together. She in the meantime has taking a liking to one of the extras who used to be a circus acrobat before he was taken into a concentration camp.
To complicate matters even worse. Goebbels has taken a liking to the Spanish leading actress and has placed her in a furnished house where he expects sex as payment in return. The director is helpless to do anything as he know realizes all of their lives are at stake.
This is without a doubt one of the best directed, written, acted, movies that I've seen from Spain and I grew up seeing movies from Spain as a young boy were once two movies houses in my town that showed Spanish movies.

I have to say the movie is one of the best films from spain I have seen. The scences are shot beautifully, and the dialouge to. Penelope Cruz is outstanding as always, and dosen't fail to surprise you in this film either.

The film takes place in Germany, during World War 2. One of Spain's most respected directors,Blas, is invited to Germany where he will shoot the Spainsh version of "The Girl of your Dreams" (also known as) "La Nina de tus Ojos." Macarena (Cruz) will play the female in both the German and Spanish version and the male role will be done by a German star and the the spanish will be played by a Spanish Star (Jorge Sanz). The film group is supported by the pervert Minister in Germany, whom is extermly infatuated by Macarena. He constantly makes advances at Macarena, and tells her that she should stay in Germany to persue her carrer as an actress, but she who rather return to Madrid as soon as possible. Fearing that Macarena's rejection of the Minister could cause him to stop production the Spanish directer, Blas, encourages Macarena to keep accepting his invitations, gifts, and reciprocate his flirting. This upsets Macarena for she and the director are lovers, and fells that if they were married the Minister would respect her instead of harassing her, but marrage is an unlikly possibility for he is already married with childeren. As the film progresses Macarena is disgusted by the mistreatments of the Jews and Gypsy's, however is in no place to say or do something because of the possible punishments in her political views. She befriends and Russian Jew on the set and it is he who makes her see that the War is wrong and takes a stand in her belifes. The film further progresses and the Minister practically forces Macarena to move into a private and sucluted home, wherer the Minister plans to have his way. As the film is comming to an end Blas learnes that Macarena's father has passed away, and realizes that Macarena would be best off in Mardrid. In the end Macarena helps the Russian Jew to escape, only to find herself in a predicament with the Minister. The Group and Blas is forced to choose between finishing the almost completed film or doing what is right and leaving Germany.

how can you expect to get a review from me...when its been a month since i ordered the product...this really is very poor quality service...you should ask me how i review amazon.com..........and here i can help you easily.....one out of ten...for appalling service....


louis phillips

This almost seemed like a silent film. It was just so terrible and boring that I finally just shut it off not wanting to waste any more time.
worthless

Doesn't work as a comedy or drama, attempts both. I am a fan of penelope cruz (I highly recommmend 'open your eyes') but this film was terrible - filled with stupid cliches and an unconvincing plotline, including misguided allusions to "Cassablanca" which this films suffers by comparision.
There is ONE redeeming scene: when P. Cruz performs musical number in traditional anduluscian dress.