Rating: 
Summary: Butterflies are not always free
Review: "Butterfly" ("Mariposa" in Spanish) is a Spanish film set in 1936, in the pre-stages of the Spanish Civil War.
Filmed in the standard European method (i.e., very well!), this film brings together Moncho (a young boy), his family, his village and its politics, and an aging school teacher, who only wants to teach that everyone should live free (or "at least one generation of Spaniards should live free!"). It is a heartwarming and heartbreaking film about the struggles, internally and outwardly: of trying to grow up and understand an adult world that seems bizarre at best, of wrestling with a myriad of political "solutions" facing the country at the time (which pitted Church against king against the fascists against the communists, thus leaving innocent Moncho completely confused.
The film quite adequately carries these themes and, alas, with no happy conclusion (it's not Hollywood, after all!). Moncho sees this adult world come crashing down upon his own sensibilities, and being six years old, find himself unable not only to cope with it but not to be able to understand it at all, try as hard as he may. Politics wins out, at least at this time and civil liberties (certainly a stranger to Spain at that time in history) once more fall by the camino real.
"Butterfly" makes a striking statement about the Human Condition, and how some cope, some reject, some distort, and some accept it. Seen from the perspective of Americans who seem to take civil liberties for granted, freedom on every corner, and rights in abundance, we can only feel saddened that these citizens know not freedom's ring. We do know, however, even though perhaps in another venue, the heartbreak of deception, of lost love, of being manipulated by false forces.
This is a powerful film that, subtitles aside (American audiences don't always "accept" them!), is worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Butterflies are not always free
Review: "Butterfly" ("Mariposa" in Spanish) is a Spanish film set in 1936, in the pre-stages of the Spanish Civil War.
Filmed in the standard European method (i.e., very well!), this film brings together Moncho (a young boy), his family, his village and its politics, and an aging school teacher, who only wants to teach that everyone should live free (or "at least one generation of Spaniards should live free!"). It is a heartwarming and heartbreaking film about the struggles, internally and outwardly: of trying to grow up and understand an adult world that seems bizarre at best, of wrestling with a myriad of political "solutions" facing the country at the time (which pitted Church against king against the fascists against the communists, thus leaving innocent Moncho completely confused.
The film quite adequately carries these themes and, alas, with no happy conclusion (it's not Hollywood, after all!). Moncho sees this adult world come crashing down upon his own sensibilities, and being six years old, find himself unable not only to cope with it but not to be able to understand it at all, try as hard as he may. Politics wins out, at least at this time and civil liberties (certainly a stranger to Spain at that time in history) once more fall by the camino real.
"Butterfly" makes a striking statement about the Human Condition, and how some cope, some reject, some distort, and some accept it. Seen from the perspective of Americans who seem to take civil liberties for granted, freedom on every corner, and rights in abundance, we can only feel saddened that these citizens know not freedom's ring. We do know, however, even though perhaps in another venue, the heartbreak of deception, of lost love, of being manipulated by false forces.
This is a powerful film that, subtitles aside (American audiences don't always "accept" them!), is worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Absorbing Story about a Boy and a Teacher in Spain
Review: "Butterfly" is an absorbing story about young, innocent brothers of a tailor living in Spain just before the civil war begins, and as you already may guess, it begins sweetly and ends sadly. The focus of the film is set on the relationship between the younger brother Moncho and his retiring old teacher. And around them well-drawn people of a Spanish village in winter, 1936, are portrayed. You may think historical knowledge is needed; actually, though it helps, not exactly necessary. The film skillfully tells a chain of episodes about a Chinese girl (with whom elder brother falls in love) or a woman who seems more attracted to her dog than to her lover. But the most impressive scene is, as everyone would agree, the heart-rending ending. Probably, interpretation of the scene in point would differ among viewers (listen the boy's last word; it's the key), but as to its stunning reality revealing the innate weakness of human beings, no one would disagree. Is the friendship between the boy and the teacher really ended? The director, I think, took the best course, leaving the answer up to us. Mine is that it is a hopeful one. The teacher knows, and underdstands, the kid had to do it. I'd like to think so. The film's script was made from Manuel Rivas's original book, collection of short stories, and the film used several stories to compose the whole story, so this process may explain a little slack development of the film. Sometimes "Butterfly" suffers from a loose connection between rather irrelevant episodes, but it is saved by its wonderful photography capturing the beauty of the country. Remember, the story is slow, but the entire film finally makes up for it. It is sad, but not without hope. One thing more: the film's music was composed by Alejandro Amenabar, director of "Open Your Eyes" (later remade as "Vanilla Sky") and "The Others." He is responsible for the music of those two movies, too.
Rating:
Summary: La lengua de las mariposas
Review: "Butterfly" is one of the best Spanish movies I've ever seen. Translated literally from Spanish as "The tongue of the butterflies," it is a look at life just before the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. It portrays the sharp political divides that the rise of facist dictatorship and war itself brought to the Spanish people, and how this distroyed life as they knew it. Yet this is done through the touching story of a young boy and his school teacher, the trials of growing up and the relationships in a small town. This movie is extremely well-made and will make you both smile and cry. It is definitely worth buying for both the historic and the fictional aspects!
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing Story about a Boy and a Teacher in Spain
Review: "Butterfly" is an absorbing story about young, innocent brothers of a tailor living in Spain just before the civil war begins, and as you already may guess, it begins sweetly and ends sadly. The focus of the film is set on the relationship between the younger brother Moncho and his retiring old teacher. And around them well-drawn people of a Spanish village in winter, 1936, are portrayed. You may think historical knowledge is needed; actually, though it helps, not exactly necessary. The film skillfully tells a chain of episodes about a Chinese girl (with whom elder brother falls in love) or a woman who seems more attracted to her dog than to her lover. But the most impressive scene is, as everyone would agree, the heart-rending ending. Probably, interpretation of the scene in point would differ among viewers (listen the boy's last word; it's the key), but as to its stunning reality revealing the innate weakness of human beings, no one would disagree. Is the friendship between the boy and the teacher really ended? The director, I think, took the best course, leaving the answer up to us. Mine is that it is a hopeful one. The teacher knows, and underdstands, the kid had to do it. I'd like to think so. The film's script was made from Manuel Rivas's original book, collection of short stories, and the film used several stories to compose the whole story, so this process may explain a little slack development of the film. Sometimes "Butterfly" suffers from a loose connection between rather irrelevant episodes, but it is saved by its wonderful photography capturing the beauty of the country. Remember, the story is slow, but the entire film finally makes up for it. It is sad, but not without hope. One thing more: the film's music was composed by Alejandro Amenabar, director of "Open Your Eyes" (later remade as "Vanilla Sky") and "The Others." He is responsible for the music of those two movies, too.
Rating:
Summary: La lengua de las mariposas
Review: "Butterfly" is one of the best Spanish movies I've ever seen. Translated literally from Spanish as "The tongue of the butterflies," it is a look at life just before the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. It portrays the sharp political divides that the rise of facist dictatorship and war itself brought to the Spanish people, and how this distroyed life as they knew it. Yet this is done through the touching story of a young boy and his school teacher, the trials of growing up and the relationships in a small town. This movie is extremely well-made and will make you both smile and cry. It is definitely worth buying for both the historic and the fictional aspects!
Rating:
Summary: Coming Of Age In A Time Of Treachery
Review: ...I have seen so many coming of age films, especially foreign ones, that only a few stand out for me anymore as 5 star films. The movie's first half, set in 1930s Spain, is rather heart warming about a young boy and his elderly teacher. The teacher singles the boy out for special kindness and tutoring, including giving the boy a butterfly net and their using the net to explore and understand the natural world. The teacher explains to the boy all the characteristics of a certain insect before setting it free again. However, the Spanish Civil War creeps into the movie's second half and it divides its citizens so that they start turning on one another and urging one another's arrest to avoid the same themselves. The story continues to follow the boy and the teacher through this growing ugliness until they themselves are enmeshed in the same conflict of citizen persecuting fellow citizen that every Civil War entails. The boy now sees the natural world at his own level of existence, indeed comes of age, and grows up by following his own survival characteristics.
Rating:
Summary: Politcal Metamorphosis
Review: A sugar-coated political story. Spain was in the twilight of political tyranny. The science teacher, however well-educated and well-meaning he was, his torch of enlightenment was just too small. Oppressions and persecutions were still prevalent, life and human relationship even of the most intimate and innocent kind suffered... Fortunately, Spain soon turned herself into a butterfly as beautiful and as meaningful as the one the teacher showed his pupil who took part in his persecution by throwing stone at him... A heart-warming but also politically hair-raising story. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie!
Review: Another reviewer lamented this film's "obscure metaphors." Here's a hint: there aren't any. No knowledge of Spanish history is needed to understand any part of this film besides the very end, and anyone who took world history should know that the fascists carted off everyone they didn't like at the beginning of the civil war. To say that the western world has forgotten the Spanish civil war is akin to saying that the western world has forgotten the holocaust, the only greater atrocity ever committed on European soil. But about the movie itself. The cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is excellent. The subtitles are for the hearing impared, which is a little annoying, but it's easy enough to ignore "[dog barks]." The only fault I can find with the film is that it tends to digress a little too much; there are several peripheral episodes that never really go anywhere. The soundtrack is amazing. Definitely one of the best movies to come out of Spain in a long time!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie!
Review: Another reviewer lamented this film's "obscure metaphors." Here's a hint: there aren't any. No knowledge of Spanish history is needed to understand any part of this film besides the very end, and anyone who took world history should know that the fascists carted off everyone they didn't like at the beginning of the civil war. To say that the western world has forgotten the Spanish civil war is akin to saying that the western world has forgotten the holocaust, the only greater atrocity ever committed on European soil. But about the movie itself. The cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is excellent. The subtitles are for the hearing impared, which is a little annoying, but it's easy enough to ignore "[dog barks]." The only fault I can find with the film is that it tends to digress a little too much; there are several peripheral episodes that never really go anywhere. The soundtrack is amazing. Definitely one of the best movies to come out of Spain in a long time!
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