Belle Epoque (film)
7.4 /10 1 Votes
Director Fernando Trueba Initial DVD release May 20, 2003 Language Spanish | 7.2/10 IMDb Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance Duration Country Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Rafael Azcona , Jose Luis Garcia Sanchez Release date 4 December 1992 (1992-12-04) Music director Antoine Duhamel, Federico Romero, Pablo Sorozabal, Guillermo Fernandez-Shaw Cast Penélope Cruz (Luz), Gabino Diego (Juanito), Ariadna Gil (Violeta), Fernando Fernán Gómez (Manolo), Agustín González (Don Luis), Miriam Díaz-Aroca (Clara)Similar movies Jamon Jamon , Southland Tales , Zandalee , Lovers , Starter for 10 , Valley Girl Tagline A sexy, lusty uninhibited comedy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As Spain sits on the precipice of civil war in 1930, Fernando (Jorge Sanz) opts to go AWOL from the army. He soon happens upon the country home of the rich Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez), who invites Fernando to stay with him. Fernando is then introduced to Manolos daughters Clara (Miriam Diaz-Aroca), Violeta (Ariadna Gil), Rocio (Maribel Verdu) and Luz (Penelope Cruz) and has close encounters with each of them, but a problem arises when he cannot decide which beauty to marry.
Contents
Belle Epoque is a 1992 Spanish film directed by Fernando Trueba. The title doesnt derive from the period in French history known as the Belle Epoque ("The Beautiful Era") but from the days before the Spanish Civil War. Belle Epoque received the Goya Award for Best Film along with eight other Goya Awards and was named Best Foreign Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards.
In 1931, a young soldier deserts from the army and falls into a country farm, where he is welcomed by the owner due to his political ideas. Manolo has four daughters, Fernando likes all of them and they like him, so he has to decide which one to love.
Plot
The year is 1931. Spain is politically divided between Republicans and Traditionalists and on the verge of the Spanish Second Republic. Fernando, a young soldier, deserts. He befriends Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez), an old man with a large house in the country. Fernando meets and is enchanted by Manolos four daughters. As he meets each of the first three one by one, he falls in love and has sex with each of them, determining to marry but with each one a complication arises: Clara (Miriam Diaz-Aroca), a widow who only recently lost her husband and who seeks solace with Fernando; Violeta (Ariadna Gil), a lesbian who is only attracted to Fernando when he is dressed as a woman for a costume ball and Rocio (Maribel Verdu), a social climber who is about to marry into a royalist family for the security it would provide and who only momentarily succumbs to Fernandos charms. Heartbroken each time, the father of the girls encourages him to have patience. Each of the daughters is beautiful and represents a different aspect of feminine sexuality. The youngest of the family, Luz (Penelope Cruz), represents naivete. While Fernando is pursuing her sisters, Luz gets progressively angry and jealous but eventually Fernando realizes that she is the best one of the four to marry.
Critical reception
Belle Epoque received positive reviews getting a 93% on rottentomatoes.com. The film is mentioned in the 2010 American film The Fighter.
Cast
Awards
Nominations
References
Belle Epoque (film) WikipediaBelle Epoque (film) IMDb Belle Epoque (film) themoviedb.org