Rating: 
Summary: SEDUCTIVELY FUN
Review: A Spanish army deserter runs away and stays with a man who has four beautiful daughters. If I am not mistaken (it has been a while since I saw the film) he wants to study for the priesthood or had in the past studied for the priesthood, so he had lustful feelings about the daughters but despite his urges did not act on them. However, he was surprised to find that the girls were each aggressive in their own ways, and he found himself easily seduced... by each of them! Penelope Cruz stars here in one of her earliest roles. She of course has become an American star now, with her roles in All the Pretty Horses with Matt Damon and the upcoming Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise and Captain Corelli's Mandolin with Nicolas Cage. Belle Epoque is a beautiful and tantalising film, and it won best foreign film Oscar in the early 90s. (Sorry I don't remember which year).
Rating:
Summary: Warm and rustic
Review: Although this is a Spanish production set during the Spanish Civil War in the thirties, it is a French bedroom farce all the way, and a delightful romp to be sure. Warm and rustic with a light satirical air, "Belle Époque" plays like something from Molière with a touch of Cervantes and a dollop of Shakespeare folded in. Four young women, daughters of Manolo, an ageing Republican artist, played with warmth and a becoming rakishness by Fernando Fernán Gómez, converge one at a time on our very lucky hero (Jorge Sanz) so as to better help him decide which one he really loves. Director Fernando Trueba lets him try all four before a decision is reached. The sex scenes couldn't get by the Vatican, but are so charmingly done that we are delighted. None of your sick, violent Anglo matings here. No rapes, no drugs, no booze, just sweet country coupling all around. The target of the satire is mostly the Catholic church and the Fascists, but the Republicans take some hits as well. The war is entirely in the background except for a little comédie noire scene at the outset where two stupido Fascists soldiers do themselves in. Our hero's foil is a Jerry Lewis sort of mamma's boy romancing one of the daughters with his inheritance and his mother. He flip-flops between the church and the Republicans trying to please mamma and Clara, his enchantress, second daughter of Manolo. Manolo's foil is the parish priest, a hypocritical libertine, who commits most of the deadly sins before expiring by his own hand when the Republicans win (temporarily) the war. The title (in English, "The Age of Beauty") is ironic because of the war, but literal as it refers to the time of our youth. Is it not uplifting to recall our loves instead of our wars, to turn our political and religious hatreds into benign satirical jokes, and to see the beauty of our nature and not our bestiality? The traditional comedy of course ends in marriage, but to whom? I'm betting on the beautiful Penélope Cruz, who was just eighteen when this film was released.
Rating: 
Summary: Little Conan grows up! And gets laid a lot, I see....
Review: Belle Epoque is a beautifully rendered film with a good sense of humor and a well-paced plot. Unlike what a previous reviewer wrote, it is actually set in the years PRECEDING the Spanish Civil War, that is, when a republic was established after the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. The debate between Monarchism and Carlism versus Republicanism and Anarchism -a split in Spanish society that would culminate in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936- is made accessible as expressed by the colorful characters in this movie: the pampered mollycoddle Juanito, the irreverent priest, the artist-patriarch (who nevertheless lives like a "scared old bourgeois"). The Civil War of the 1936-39 was only the last of the many civil wars that erupted in Spain during the modern era (e.g. the Carlist Wars of the Nineteenth Century). The movie will throw light on this turbulent time as it affected ordinary people, and for those of you not squeamish about the idea of a man sleeping with four beautiful women in the course of a few days, I recommend this movie highly. "Belle Epoque" is NOT fluff or late-night soft porn; it is only disguising its gravity behind a façade of lightheartedness.
Rating:
Summary: Belle Epoque, Beau Film
Review: Belle Epoque is a beautifully rendered film with a good sense of humor and a well-paced plot. Unlike what a previous reviewer wrote, it is actually set in the years PRECEDING the Spanish Civil War, that is, when a republic was established after the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. The debate between Monarchism and Carlism versus Republicanism and Anarchism -a split in Spanish society that would culminate in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936- is made accessible as expressed by the colorful characters in this movie: the pampered mollycoddle Juanito, the irreverent priest, the artist-patriarch (who nevertheless lives like a "scared old bourgeois"). The Civil War of the 1936-39 was only the last of the many civil wars that erupted in Spain during the modern era (e.g. the Carlist Wars of the Nineteenth Century). The movie will throw light on this turbulent time as it affected ordinary people, and for those of you not squeamish about the idea of a man sleeping with four beautiful women in the course of a few days, I recommend this movie highly. "Belle Epoque" is NOT fluff or late-night soft porn; it is only disguising its gravity behind a façade of lightheartedness.
Rating:
Summary: Elegant, funny, sexy, sophisticated, and very "French-like"
Review: Belle Epoque reminds of a traditional French-style cinema, just like the title itself. It is a story of basically decent, but very confused young man (incredibly cute one, too), whose only concern is how to survive amidst the chaos of Spanish Civil War. The film begins with this young man, Fernando, almost being killed, but it ends with him being very much alive and happy. In the process, Fernando meets a lot of new people: an old man, Manolo, and his unconventional family, to say the least. The relationship between Manolo and Fernando takes a special place in the story, along with Fernando's amorous interest in Manolo's daughter(s). Apart from love and youth, Belle Epoque is also looking at Spain's historical background and hypocritical nature of society during the Great Spanish Civil War. Overall, Belle Epoque is both visually appealing and very philosophical, at the same time. It is a real masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and funny.
Review: Belle Epoque was a comical movie, but I would'nt say it's the best. The language was at times hard to understand even though I speak spanish. Plus why is the title in French? If the character of Fernando had not been so funny and the actor himself so comical, I would have bored myself. The story seems very deja vue of other films. Still, it did entertain so I recommend it if your into foreign films.
Rating:
Summary: more here than fluff
Review: Bottom line (or top line if you prefer):This movie is not a waste of your time. It is about a young man deserting the military towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. On the surface level, you won't find anything really outstanding here, just a guy who is taken in by a stranger and decides to stay on after meeting his four very very lovely daughters. Each, in turn, seduce and confuse the poor boy. This level alone is fun. However, the dialog between the two guards at the begining set the tone of social commentary. If you know anything about the Spanish Civil War you will find that each of the daughters represent also the four main factions of the war. Watch deeper and pay attention to the social and historical events that were taking place in the time setting of the movie, you will understand the film's muted anti-war commentary and why it won the '92 Oscar. If you don't really care about all that bookish stuff it is still a funny and sexy film about finding the right girl. Bottom line: this movie won't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: more here than fluff
Review: Bottom line (or top line if you prefer):This movie is not a waste of your time. It is about a young man deserting the military towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. On the surface level, you won't find anything really outstanding here, just a guy who is taken in by a stranger and decides to stay on after meeting his four very very lovely daughters. Each, in turn, seduce and confuse the poor boy. This level alone is fun. However, the dialog between the two guards at the begining set the tone of social commentary. If you know anything about the Spanish Civil War you will find that each of the daughters represent also the four main factions of the war. Watch deeper and pay attention to the social and historical events that were taking place in the time setting of the movie, you will understand the film's muted anti-war commentary and why it won the '92 Oscar. If you don't really care about all that bookish stuff it is still a funny and sexy film about finding the right girl. Bottom line: this movie won't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: See young penelope cruz work her magic...
Review: Gomez brings the audience characters you fall in love with...
If you liked "water for chocolate" and "women on the verge of a nervous breakdown" or even "woman on top"- you'll enjoy this!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I am a huge fan of Spanish films, and this one is very good. It has some of my favorite Spanish actors, and their performances do not disappoint. Although it is set during the Civil War, it really has more to do with day to day life. I'm a real sucker for Romances, so predictability does not diminish my enjoyment of this movie; however, it might bother others. Even if the predictability of the romance story is bothersome, there are many other aspects of the movie that make it great. The relationship of the sisters to their parents, the relationship of the parents, the interesting characterization, etc. I would give this movie five stars if it were American, but I guess I just have a higher standard for Spanish film. The movie disappointed me slightly, but I must stress that I really have very high expectations for Spanish film.
|
