Customer Reviews

High Heels

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

 

 

Although it's not a materpiece, a bit slow in some parts, every Almodovar film is always a gift for the senses, and Tacones Lejanos "High Heels" is not the exception. Exceptional acting performances by Victoria Abril and Marisa Paredes, amazing cinematography, marvelous songs by Luz Casal ("Un año de Amor" and the heartbreaking "Piensa En Mi"), funny impersonators secenes (Miguel Bose aka Letal), and a must-seen for all the fans of the House Of Chanel with big exposure of clothes, jewelry, bags, glasses (eraly 90s collections). At last, i recommend this film for just having a big time with this funny Almodovar.

One again we have Pedro Almodovar, a spanish director that mixes drama in very dark humor. Here we learn about the relationship of a mother and daughter after 16 years of departure from each other. Vanity, love and regrets are emotionally mixed in this "fun to watch" Spanish movies. There is also a participation of Miguel Bose, a famous spanish pop rocker in the enterpretation of a drag singer . Pedro Almodovar usually repeats his actors in his movies, Law of desire, Kika, Tie me up! tie me down! and Women on a verge of a nervous breakdown, among others. It's a good movie to watch but it is a very adult drama situation, rated R for adults. Enjoy...

Like all great Almodovar movies, traditional gender roles are subverted in 'High Heels'. In fact for WASP suburbanite America, much of this plot would seem like an episode of Jerry Springer. Mother abandons daughter for singing career, daughter marries mother's former lover, mother continues to have affair with son-in-law while daughter becomes pregnant through a night of passion with a drag queen. How ironic it is then that Almodovar takes much of his influence for this movie from Douglas Sirk. A director noted for his melodramas about late 50's/early 60's family life amongst WASP suburanites in America. In fact this meshing of a traditional film genre with more modern edgy characters has even been given a name - an Almodrama -.

The title 'High Heels' refers to the time when Rebecca was a child and couldn't sleep until she heard the high heels of her mother click-clacking her way home from work outside her bedroom window. Despite being abandoned by her mother, Rebecca never lets go of her love for her and tries all her life to be as 'good' as her in her life and in her loves.

While this movie was critically panned by many critics both in Spain and abroad, 'High Heels' went on to become the then, second highest-grossing film in Spanish history, ('Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown' being the first!)

I liked this movie and later catching Victoria Abril's Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down felt that Almodovar had made a transition to a more comprehensible narrative to tell softer more complete stories. I thought both of these movies were essentially incredibly sweet despite Tie Me Up being criticized and harshly rated when it first came out. In both movies, there were still shocking elements to choke on but the essential stories were gentler. I liked this mother daughter story and even bought Luz Cassal's album and listened to it over and over because the soundtrack for this movie was such a pleasure. This movie is also a feast of Armani (the mother) and Chanel (the daughter.) I really love the aesthetic of Almodovar's films. How wonderful Spain must be if these colors and this carefree joyful eye for clothes came from there. This movie is generally the least appreciated by critics but this is the movie that was the most watchable to me of Almodovar's movies and which I easily enjoyed. I previously liked Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown which was zany and had beautiful colors but I could never rewatch in its entirety.

Quien nunca haya tenido una pelea con su mama, deberia chequear la de esta pelicula. Almodovar nos transporta una vez mas a la legendaria España en donde una egocentrica y nerviosa actriz, (Paredes) y su hija (Victoria Abril) comparten el amor del mismo hombre. Abril es acusada de asesinar a su amante y su madre confiesa ser culpable del crimen. La actuacion de Miguel Bose es absolutamente maestral!

Ahhhh, Victoria Abril... she is quite the actress! And as anything that Almodovar makes, this is phantastic. The subject could be really "noir", but the way it is treated, it has its black humor side, a specialty of Pedro's. A relationship between a daughter and her mother, choices they made have a profound impact on their lives even decades later. A mysterious procecutor, a fun and strange transvestite, they all have something in common. I feel that one must give the plot away if one starts telling the story, so I won't. Suffice it to say that this is one of the best movies you could ever see! Deeply human and mysterious, filled with unexpected turns and a surprise ending! But we can never be 100% sure, if you know what I mean....
And the sound track is worth having, too, wonderful pieces! They are outstanding in their own right!

I love pedro almodovar films, but high heels is my favorite. I don't even mind that it is on vhs. This is one of my all time favorite movies. I received it fast and the tape is in great shape. I have watched this film at least 20 times since I received the tape. I am very pleased with my purchase.

This movie is part of another era in Almodovar`s Filmography....represented for the search of serious topics but never putting aside his unique sense of humor....The Mother that only loves her career and men, the daughter that only wants to be loved, the man who has to be a woman to find love, and the need to forgive and to be forgiven...and at last the question is the same.....what would you do for Love??? High Heels ( Tacones lejanos ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]

...typical Almodovar. If you happen to like him for that, then, you will enjoy this film. I like the fact that Almodovar keeps his style unchanged, from working with virtually same group of actors every time to using the same combination of colors every time. This repeatition creates a sence of continuity and familiarity, which allows us to enjoy every film to its fullest.

While this film is not Almodovar's funniest one, it is definitely one of the most exploring, when it comes to the parent-child relationships.

And again, Almodovar, is at his best, when he talks about women... Just how in the world does he manage that? Well, it does not matter how; what matters is that he DOES.

I saw that movie years ago when still living in Brazil. It's such a pity people here don't have the same chance to see Almovar's movies. This is one of his masterfull pieces, a dark humor showing the deep inside of human's souls mixing tragedy with comedy where the "non sense" is the absolute sense.