Victor, a young man from humble beginnings, falls in love with the daughter of a diplomat, with whom he shares his first sexual experience. Events become confused when Victor tries to see her again. Spanish dialogue with English subtitles. Read more
| Starring | Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal, Angela Molina |
|---|---|
| Director | Pedro Almodovar |
| Genres | Thriller, World Cinema |
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Victor, a young man from humble beginnings, falls in love with the daughter of a diplomat, with whom he shares his first sexual experience. Events become confused when Victor tries to see her again. Spanish dialogue with English subtitles.
| Starring | Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal, Angela Molina, Jose Sancho |
|---|---|
| Director | Pedro Almodovar |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 37 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller, World Cinema |
| Language | Spanish |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 05 Aug 2004 Production year: 1997 |
| Format | DVD |
Excruciatingly funny, fearlessly frank and gloriously ironic, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's engaging take on the Ruth Rendell thriller is a deliciously twisted tale of destiny, desire and death. Using the central concept of how a single bullet fired during a botched police investigation causes a ricochet effect through the lives of five different characters, the camp iconoclast serves up a pulse-quickening cocktail of subversion and sexual tension where truth and humanity are used as clever red herrings. Featuring amazing performances from Javier Bardem and Angela Molina, this crime of passion is a must-see and easily Almodóvar's best film since Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
"...LIVE FLESH is a fully realised work...It is a complex and moving film that is beautiful to look at. You'll want to see it again..."
Spain, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 2/13/98 (limited)
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: R (Sex, profanity, nudity, drugs)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Liberto Rabal, Francesca Neri, Javier Bardem, Angela Molina, Jose Sancho, Penelope Cruz
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Producer: Agust?n Almodovar
Screenplay: Pedro Almodovar, Jorge Guerricaechevarria, Ray Loriga based on the novel by Ruth Rendell
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Music: Alberto Iglesias
U.S. Distributor: Goldwyn Pictures
In Spanish with subtitles
Summary of movie from James Berardinelli:
'The five principals come together on one fateful night in 1992 Madrid. Victor (Liberto Rabal) has fallen for a woman, Elena (Francesca Neri), whom he had sex with a week ago. Elena, however, wants nothing more to do with Victor, and, when he shows up at her apartment, she uses a gun to scare him away. A shot is fired and the cops are called. Arriving at Elena's apartment are two partners, David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho), who are in the midst of a crisis in their friendship. Sancho, a chronic, abusive drunk, believes that his wife, Clara (Angela Molina), is having an affair, and he suspects David of being Clara's lover. What happens when the police break down the door to Elena's apartment sets off a chain of events that reverberate through time to a period four years later, when circumstances bring the characters together once again, albeit in a vastly different situation.'
Movie is typical Almodovar, excellent to watch from beginning to end, with firmly 'fleshed' out characters and wonderful cinamotography.
I must admit I thought I was in for another sea of red, yellow and blue backgrounds with transvestites and sex in the foreground when I saw who the directors were, but, I was surprised when what I actually got was quite dark.
As with 99% of spanish movies there is sex thrown in the mix but here Almoldovar uses it more cleverly than I've seen before in any of his (or most spanish) films.
Perhaps the most famous Spanish director of his time, Pedro Almodóvar’s passion for cinematic representation began in the early 1980s. Experimenting with themes of desire and identity, Almodóvar’s work is largely expressive in both content and style. Penélope Cruz’s involvement in his 1997 film Live Flesh marked a significant turning point for Almodóvar, who went onto re-cast her in three more of his films. We chatted to the star about his latest project, Broken Embraces and... Read more