Product Details

• Actors: Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos, Juan Antonio Jiménez, Pilar Cárdenas, Carmen Villena
• Directors: Carlos Saura
• Writers: Antonio Gades, Carlos Saura, Alfredo Mañas, Antonio Artero, Federico García Lorca
• Producers: Emiliano Piedra
• Format: PAL
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1.0
• Studio: Suevia Films
• Run Time: 67 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000A1MVWO
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,832 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ),English ( Subtitles ),Spanish ( Subtitles ),SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s),SYNOPSIS: Presented in almost a documentary fashion, Bodas de Sangre combines cinema and dance in a seamless manner that few films have achieved. The basic idea of the film -- a simple dress rehearsal in a bare hall -- does not sound like it has much cinematic potential, but director Carlos Saura turns the film into a beautiful cinematic tour de force, moving his camera with as much grace and rhythm as the dancers themselves (with, of course, the invaluable aid of cinematographer Teo Escamilla). Saura strikes just the right balance of using the camera to enhance the experience, while at the same time allowing the dance to speak for itself. He never intrudes on or competes with the dance, and indeed his touch is so light and subtle that at times the camera almost disappears. Only once does he noticeably misstep, when he makes the mistake of shooting a scene from a bird's-eye view, which is so distracting it temporarily shatters the illusion. He soon regains his footing. Saura has stripped the film of all of its inessentials, and created a perfect unity of dance and the cinema, the two art forms complementing each other. And in the climactic knife fight of Leonardo and the groom, Saura brings all of his techniques together, in a beautifully staged focus on pure dance and movement; at that moment, only movement is relevant and even music is insufficient to convey the passion of the scene. It almost goes without saying that the dancing is fantastic, and the contribution of choreographer and lead dancer Antonio Gades cannot be overstated. Saura went on to direct several other dance films, from Carmen (1983)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Duende, March 21, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy Part 2 - Blood Wedding [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this film a number of years ago, but still remember vividly the passion of the dance and the film style. I feel that it is fitting that this piece of literature should have been translated into flamenco, because de Lorca was a great lover of the art form. I study flamenco with a woman from Cadiz, Spain, who sings and dances many of the great songs that he wrote the lyrics for, and she says that he was often quoted as saying that flamenco was deeper than the deepest part of the deepest ocean. So, I guess it goes to say that this is a film not to be merely watched, but intensly felt, as not only the story of Blood Wedding, but in the duende, or soul, of the dancers portraying it. If you are looking for mere entertainment, this is not for you. If you are looking for something to engage your passions, soul, and mind--take a look.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is the point of the Internet if we can't get THIS!, September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy Part 2 - Blood Wedding [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Obviously we can obtain the general melee of film at our local video BARNS, but if we can't obtain this from you folks, well...there's something amiss.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it or hate it!, January 11, 2000

By	J. Barroso (Beijing PR of CHINA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy Part 2 - Blood Wedding [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you are looking for action, define action. If you like dance, define dance. If you like Saura, this is Saura. Gades... If you want Lorca's play word by word, read the book. A movie is a movie is a movie. Not a play. Not a script. This is one of the best movies ever made, if you like the style, if you like tension, if you like contained filming, and new filmic vocabulary expressions and techniques. Sit back and enjoy. This is at the same level as The Tango Lesson (Sally Potter, don't miss it!) and that old classic black & white movie, They Shoot Horses, D'ont They? And if you like Japanese direcor Akira Kurosawa, you will like this movie. This is not an action movie, this is movie action! A poem on screen!