5 reviews
Interesting and thought-provoking drama set during Spanish Civil War and filmed on wonderful exteriors and outdoors from Galicia . It is set during the years in which the Spanish Republic comes under fire from Franco revolt and country growing apart . As sides are drawn and power falls clearly to one side , the forces of fright , rebellion and treason alter profoundly what should be a pacific existence . It deals with a doctor called Daniel Da Barca (Tristan Ulloa) who is imprisoned for his political ideology . Daniel's girlfriend called Marisa Mallo (Maria Adanez) is the daughter of wealthy landowner Benito Mallo (Manuel Manquiña) and attempts to help Daniel . While , a Guardia Civil named Herbal (Luis Tosar) falls for Marisa . Then , Daniel is transferred a new prison where is also assigned Herbal and he works as a penitentiary doctor along with a nurse nun (Ana Igartiburu) .
Drama with historical and romantic elements ; including enjoyable performances and adequate set design . ¨Lapiz del Carpintero¨ or "The Carpenter's Pencil" results to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds regarding the Civil War background . A familiar theme about the global horrors of a fratricide war , impossible to forget to our cinema . An agreeable story plenty of enjoyable moments , intense drama, tragic events , moving feelings and predictable finale . Director Anton Rexa , also writes the interesting script along with prestigious screenwriter and author Manuel Rivas . Rivas is a famous Galician writer and journalist , his book "O Lapis do Carpinteiro" and his story "A Lingua das Bolboretas" or ¨Tongue of butterflies¨(originally written in Galician) were adapted to the cinema in this movies El Lápiz del Carpintero (2003) by Anton Reixa and La Lengua De Las Mariposas (1999) directed by José Luis Cuerda . Filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship by Anton Reixa who has only directed TV series and another film titled ¨Hotel Tivoli¨ , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The flick can be defined as a realistic tragedy-drama , a romantic history , a historic fresco and a socio-political fable . The main problem has to face , beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging , some slow-moving scenes , but including some well-staged set pieces . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes downbeat as well as sad flick , though also contains sensitive and enjoyable moments . Anyway, it's is compensated with the great performances from Tristan Ulloa and Luis Tosar , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Anton Reixa is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries such as Nancho Novo as Zalo , María Pujalte as Beatriz , Manuel Manquiña as Benito Mallo and the TV presenters : Anne Igartiburu as Madre Izarne and Carlos Sobera as Landesa , among others ; all of them forming a powerful human group of support cast and giving excellent interpretations .
The author of the novel on which the film is based, Manuel Rivas , who also wrote , produced and directed , besides being a singer of a famous band ¨Os Resentidos¨ , has a cameo in the film , when Daniel is first taken to the beach and lined up with other prisoners to be shot, Rivas appears to the right of him in a grey jumper. Special mention to magnificent musical score by Lucio Godoy who composes an evocative as well as sensitive musical score . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Andreu Rebes and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . Shot on north of Spain, Galicia , where have been filmed the gorgeous landscapes , marvelously reflected on location in A Coruña. The film was nominated several Goya Awards Best Production Design , Juan Pedro De Gaspar and Best Supporting Actress , María Pujalte ; and achieved Audience Award best director , Antón Reixa , and Best Actor Luis Tosar. Furthermore , (2004) Won Audience Award Antón Reixa in International Toulouse Festival .
Drama with historical and romantic elements ; including enjoyable performances and adequate set design . ¨Lapiz del Carpintero¨ or "The Carpenter's Pencil" results to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds regarding the Civil War background . A familiar theme about the global horrors of a fratricide war , impossible to forget to our cinema . An agreeable story plenty of enjoyable moments , intense drama, tragic events , moving feelings and predictable finale . Director Anton Rexa , also writes the interesting script along with prestigious screenwriter and author Manuel Rivas . Rivas is a famous Galician writer and journalist , his book "O Lapis do Carpinteiro" and his story "A Lingua das Bolboretas" or ¨Tongue of butterflies¨(originally written in Galician) were adapted to the cinema in this movies El Lápiz del Carpintero (2003) by Anton Reixa and La Lengua De Las Mariposas (1999) directed by José Luis Cuerda . Filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship by Anton Reixa who has only directed TV series and another film titled ¨Hotel Tivoli¨ , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The flick can be defined as a realistic tragedy-drama , a romantic history , a historic fresco and a socio-political fable . The main problem has to face , beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging , some slow-moving scenes , but including some well-staged set pieces . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes downbeat as well as sad flick , though also contains sensitive and enjoyable moments . Anyway, it's is compensated with the great performances from Tristan Ulloa and Luis Tosar , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Anton Reixa is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries such as Nancho Novo as Zalo , María Pujalte as Beatriz , Manuel Manquiña as Benito Mallo and the TV presenters : Anne Igartiburu as Madre Izarne and Carlos Sobera as Landesa , among others ; all of them forming a powerful human group of support cast and giving excellent interpretations .
The author of the novel on which the film is based, Manuel Rivas , who also wrote , produced and directed , besides being a singer of a famous band ¨Os Resentidos¨ , has a cameo in the film , when Daniel is first taken to the beach and lined up with other prisoners to be shot, Rivas appears to the right of him in a grey jumper. Special mention to magnificent musical score by Lucio Godoy who composes an evocative as well as sensitive musical score . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Andreu Rebes and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . Shot on north of Spain, Galicia , where have been filmed the gorgeous landscapes , marvelously reflected on location in A Coruña. The film was nominated several Goya Awards Best Production Design , Juan Pedro De Gaspar and Best Supporting Actress , María Pujalte ; and achieved Audience Award best director , Antón Reixa , and Best Actor Luis Tosar. Furthermore , (2004) Won Audience Award Antón Reixa in International Toulouse Festival .
Based on the Manuel Rivas novel of the same title, Antón Reixa directed and produced his first cinema-film, after his experiences as a TV-serie producer and writer. And in no way he could reach the level of charm and fantasy that novel gets.
As a Galician living out of my land I enjoyed very much seeing all different Galician's scenarios and actors collected within the film. Though one can admit this movie is not a Masterpiece, mainly because it tries to follow the fantasy book style and it fails in getting it.
It is remarkable performances of Manuel de Lira, María Pujalte and Gonzalo Uriarte. On another note, Luís Tosar, the most awarded actor of the year in Spain works also well, though he could not show the whole richness of the character he has to perform.
As a Galician living out of my land I enjoyed very much seeing all different Galician's scenarios and actors collected within the film. Though one can admit this movie is not a Masterpiece, mainly because it tries to follow the fantasy book style and it fails in getting it.
It is remarkable performances of Manuel de Lira, María Pujalte and Gonzalo Uriarte. On another note, Luís Tosar, the most awarded actor of the year in Spain works also well, though he could not show the whole richness of the character he has to perform.
- gerardoraido
- Apr 6, 2004
- Permalink
This movie is one of numerous films released at the turn of the century to delve into Spain's past, but it lacks the depth and nuance that would make El Lapiz del Carpintero a movie to study and remember.
The issue is not the performances since most of the characters are compelling, nor is it a question of technique or style. Some of the panoramic views of the Galician landscapes are breathtaking, and the interior set designs create a convincing visual authenticity of the period. It is easy to see that major components such as lighting, and details such as clothing received the kind of attention that make the images appealing to watch.
The film is superficial, however, in its approach toward a topic that requires and deserves a more careful and balanced presentation. The strength of the characters and the allure of the visuals are not enough to make a powerful story that audience members mull over, argue about, or even discuss.
The issue is not the performances since most of the characters are compelling, nor is it a question of technique or style. Some of the panoramic views of the Galician landscapes are breathtaking, and the interior set designs create a convincing visual authenticity of the period. It is easy to see that major components such as lighting, and details such as clothing received the kind of attention that make the images appealing to watch.
The film is superficial, however, in its approach toward a topic that requires and deserves a more careful and balanced presentation. The strength of the characters and the allure of the visuals are not enough to make a powerful story that audience members mull over, argue about, or even discuss.
Once again a Galician language book gets lost in translation and ends up becoming a Spanish language movie. However, unlike cases like "La lengua de las mariposas", sourced in the works of the same writer, Manuel Rivas, as this one is, they should have known better because this time around the director/producer was a Galician, and used to be a "galeguista" (active supporter of the everyday use and presence of the Galician language and culture, literally a "Galicianist").
Antón Reixa was probably the best known figure of the Galician "movida" of the eighties, as a musician and performance artist with his band "Os Resentidos" (who can forget "Galicia caníbal"?), a counter-culture icon, and an outspoken "galeguista", even said by some to be connected with the most radical activist groups. Then in the late nineties he became a TV producer/director and gave the world the series "Mareas vivas", in Galician, an enormous hit among the audiences and, while lacking subtlety and complexity in the treatment of its subjects, a gigantic step forward in the normalization of the Galician language use (and the revelation of the great Luis Tosar to the world). It's 2003 and the once anti-system icon is now a filthy rich producer about to direct his first feature film. So what does he do? Become a pioneer and give the Galician language a more prominent place in the audiovisual industry, by adapting a Galician book into a Galician language film?
Of course not. He succumbs to the easy Spanish box-office, and makes the movie in Spanish with one of the main characters being played by a non-Galician, María Adánez, that while doesn't stink too much, does nothing that any Galician actress couldn't have done, and probably better. Adánez was cast, as it's sadly common in Spanish cinema, not for her acting ability or for being right for the role, but for being famous as the star of a very successful Spanish sitcom, so deemed as a marketable "production value". As a result, we have a movie set in Galicia and including characters that are "galeguistas", in which no one speaks Galician. Okay, the Fascist would likely speak Spanish, all right, so the use of both languages would have been perfect, but if one has to choose, Galician is what the movie deserved, and the movie was needed for the invisible presence of Galician language in cinema. Given the sweeping TV success of "Mareas vivas", this movie would have probably worked wonders for the language's normalization in theaters, had it been in Galician. Reixa was just in that position. However, he sadly preferred the quick buck (and misfired, this wasn't exactly "Avatar" in the box-office either).
Oh, yes, of course, a Galician dubbed version of the movie exists, but a German language dubbed version of "Star Wars" exists too, and that does not make "Star Wars" a German language movie, if you know what I mean.
Sorry for the rant. I realize this is difficult to understand for someone who's not Galician and doesn't live the language conflict, but try to imagine a French movie set in Nazi-occupied France, filmed all in German, in which no one speaks French, including the Resistance. Same effect here.
And, as for the movie on its own merits? Weak, and a missed opportunity. What could have been a masterpiece had it been an introspective exploration of the character of Herbal (they even had the right actor in Tosar) and what makes him tick, becomes yet another shallow Spanish Civil War movie that barely scratches the surface of its conflict, and is ultimately about good guys that are not only idealists to the point of moving mountains, but are also super-attractive and beloved to everyone including the Civil Guards (the main character played by Tristán Ulloa convincing the Guards to let him enjoy a hotel night with his wife is a howler), except for the evil Fascists that hate him purely because they are evil, and are seen as repulsive by everyone around. I truly wish things had been this simple in real life, that would have spared us forty years of dictatorship!
The good things to look for are Tosar and a lot of well known Galician actors in supporting and bit roles. Aside from Adánez, the two other non-Galician cast members are Carlos Sobera and Anne Igartiburu, both much better known as TV hosts than as actors, which are kind of excusable because they play non-Galicians, but pretty much suck in their performances, particularly Igartiburu as a highly unlikely glamour nun. The moment in which she removes her headpiece to reveal her long blonde hair in a carefully crafted hairstyle beats any camp classic of the past.
Years have passed and Galician language is still almost unheard of in theatrical features, with about only Ignacio Vilar going against the Spanish-imposing trend. And as for Reixa, he went on to direct another feature, also in Spanish. The "galeguista" belongs in the past, so let him enjoy the extra bucks he made by sucking it up, and forget about him. 4/10.
Antón Reixa was probably the best known figure of the Galician "movida" of the eighties, as a musician and performance artist with his band "Os Resentidos" (who can forget "Galicia caníbal"?), a counter-culture icon, and an outspoken "galeguista", even said by some to be connected with the most radical activist groups. Then in the late nineties he became a TV producer/director and gave the world the series "Mareas vivas", in Galician, an enormous hit among the audiences and, while lacking subtlety and complexity in the treatment of its subjects, a gigantic step forward in the normalization of the Galician language use (and the revelation of the great Luis Tosar to the world). It's 2003 and the once anti-system icon is now a filthy rich producer about to direct his first feature film. So what does he do? Become a pioneer and give the Galician language a more prominent place in the audiovisual industry, by adapting a Galician book into a Galician language film?
Of course not. He succumbs to the easy Spanish box-office, and makes the movie in Spanish with one of the main characters being played by a non-Galician, María Adánez, that while doesn't stink too much, does nothing that any Galician actress couldn't have done, and probably better. Adánez was cast, as it's sadly common in Spanish cinema, not for her acting ability or for being right for the role, but for being famous as the star of a very successful Spanish sitcom, so deemed as a marketable "production value". As a result, we have a movie set in Galicia and including characters that are "galeguistas", in which no one speaks Galician. Okay, the Fascist would likely speak Spanish, all right, so the use of both languages would have been perfect, but if one has to choose, Galician is what the movie deserved, and the movie was needed for the invisible presence of Galician language in cinema. Given the sweeping TV success of "Mareas vivas", this movie would have probably worked wonders for the language's normalization in theaters, had it been in Galician. Reixa was just in that position. However, he sadly preferred the quick buck (and misfired, this wasn't exactly "Avatar" in the box-office either).
Oh, yes, of course, a Galician dubbed version of the movie exists, but a German language dubbed version of "Star Wars" exists too, and that does not make "Star Wars" a German language movie, if you know what I mean.
Sorry for the rant. I realize this is difficult to understand for someone who's not Galician and doesn't live the language conflict, but try to imagine a French movie set in Nazi-occupied France, filmed all in German, in which no one speaks French, including the Resistance. Same effect here.
And, as for the movie on its own merits? Weak, and a missed opportunity. What could have been a masterpiece had it been an introspective exploration of the character of Herbal (they even had the right actor in Tosar) and what makes him tick, becomes yet another shallow Spanish Civil War movie that barely scratches the surface of its conflict, and is ultimately about good guys that are not only idealists to the point of moving mountains, but are also super-attractive and beloved to everyone including the Civil Guards (the main character played by Tristán Ulloa convincing the Guards to let him enjoy a hotel night with his wife is a howler), except for the evil Fascists that hate him purely because they are evil, and are seen as repulsive by everyone around. I truly wish things had been this simple in real life, that would have spared us forty years of dictatorship!
The good things to look for are Tosar and a lot of well known Galician actors in supporting and bit roles. Aside from Adánez, the two other non-Galician cast members are Carlos Sobera and Anne Igartiburu, both much better known as TV hosts than as actors, which are kind of excusable because they play non-Galicians, but pretty much suck in their performances, particularly Igartiburu as a highly unlikely glamour nun. The moment in which she removes her headpiece to reveal her long blonde hair in a carefully crafted hairstyle beats any camp classic of the past.
Years have passed and Galician language is still almost unheard of in theatrical features, with about only Ignacio Vilar going against the Spanish-imposing trend. And as for Reixa, he went on to direct another feature, also in Spanish. The "galeguista" belongs in the past, so let him enjoy the extra bucks he made by sucking it up, and forget about him. 4/10.
The movie was shot in both languages (Spanish and Galician). It is a decision of the cinema to use one or the other. Unfortunately most cinemas opted for the Spanish option because it attracted more audience. Don't blame the director for that. By the way Anton Reixa is not a rich producer. The movie was shot in both languages (Spanish and Galician). It is a decision of the cinema to use one or the other. Unfortunately most cinemas opted for the Spanish option because it attracted more audience. Don't blame the director for that. By the way Anton Reixa is not a rich producer. The movie was shot in both languages (Spanish and Galician)
- erikaalonsocorrea
- May 31, 2015
- Permalink