Belle Époque (film)
| Belle Époque | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Fernando Trueba |
| Produced by | Fernando Trueba |
| Written by |
Rafael Azcona José Luis García Sánchez Fernando Trueba |
| Starring |
Jorge Sanz Penélope Cruz Fernando Fernán Gómez Miriam Díaz Aroca Ariadna Gil Maribel Verdú |
| Music by |
Antoine Duhamel Guillermo Fernández-Shaw Federico Romero |
| Cinematography | José Luis Alcaine |
| Edited by | Carmen Frías |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Box office | $5.4 million (United States)[1] |
Belle Époque is a 1992 Spanish comedy-drama film directed by Fernando Trueba. The title does not derive from the period in French history known as the Belle Époque ("The Beautiful Era") but from the days before the Spanish Civil War. Belle Époque 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.[2]
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 Fernán Gómez), an old man with a large house in the country. Fernando meets and is enchanted by Manolo's 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 Díaz-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 Rocío (Maribel Verdú), a social climber who is about to marry into a royalist family for the security it would provide and who only momentarily succumbs to Fernando's 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 (Penélope Cruz), represents naïveté. 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.
Cast
- Jorge Sanz as Fernando
- Fernando Fernán Gómez as Manolo
- Miriam Díaz Aroca as Clara (as Miriam Díaz-Aroca)
- Ariadna Gil as Violeta
- Maribel Verdú as Rocío
- Penélope Cruz as Luz
- Gabino Diego as Juanito
- Michel Galabru as Danglard
- Agustín González as Don Luis
- Chus Lampreave as Doña Asun
- Mary Carmen Ramírez as Amalia
- Juan José Otegui as Guard (El cabo)
- Jesús Bonilla as Guard (El número)
- María Galiana as La Polonia
- Joan Potau as Paco (as Juan Potau)
Critical reception
Belle Epoque received positive reviews getting a 93% on rottentomatoes.com. The film is mentioned in the 2010 American film The Fighter.
Awards
- 1993 Goya Awards
- Best Film (Mejor Película)
- Best Director (Mejor Director) – Fernando Trueba
- Best Lead Actress (Mejor Actriz Principal) – Ariadna Gil
- Best Supporting Actor (Mejor Actor de Reparto) – Fernando Fernán Gómez
- Best Supporting Actress (Mejor Actriz de Reparto) – Chus Lampreave
- Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original) – Rafael Azcona, José Luis García Sánchez, Fernando Trueba
- Best Cinematography (Mejor Fotografía) – José Luis Alcaine
- Best Production Design (Mejor Dirección Artística) – Juan Botella
- Best Editing (Mejor Montaje) – Carmen Frías
- 1993 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Nominations
See also
- List of submissions to the 66th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Spanish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ↑ "Belle Époque". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ↑ "Berlinale: 1993 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-05-30.