Movies
Flamenco
On a minimalist, abstract, cloistered set (invaded at one point by a passing siren), Carlos Saura stages a sort of flamenco jam session or all-star variety show, representing a full range of styles and moods, sometimes taxing in its exhaustiveness, more often exhilarating. Conspicuously missing is Antonio Gades, the dancer who starred in Saura's earlier celebrations of the art form -- Blood Wedding, Carmen, El Amor Brujo -- and who died prematurely and dramatically. This one lacks the organic unity of those other three, and there is no commentary, no identification of the artists (till the end), no translation of song lyrics, no lifeline, in short, for the nonaficionado. It hardly matters. Saura's fluid and unflashy presentation of the performances is highly appreciative and communicative, and Vittorio Storaro's photography is virtuosic in its own right (half-light, colored light, geometric light, silhouettes, shadows, mirrors, the works), and the final shot, disclosing a battalion of practicing students of the art, is a stirring expression of faith in the future of the tradition. 1995.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: NR