August 3rd: THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Victor Erice, 1973)

In the early days of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, a young girl's obsession with the film Frankenstein affects her interaction with the real world.

Director Victor Erice abandoned his more straightforward university studies for film school, then became a published critic. After a number of shorts, he began his first feature screenplay with writer Angel Fernandez Santos. The two men drew from their own childhood experiences of school, family life, imagination, and the early influence of cinema.

Cast in the central role was newcomer Ana Torrent, just six years old at the time. Because of her unfamiliarity with acting, Erice changed the names of the characters to those of the actors playing them in order to lessen her burden.

The film was shot on location in Segovia in the region of Castile, likely for its desolate appearance. Much of the imagery takes advantage of dusk's "magic hour" light, captured by cinematographer Luis Cuadrado (who was in the process of going blind).

While made near the end of Franco's regime, film censors were still in full effect, and the story's political content was buried in allegory; the post-Spanish Civil War disillusionment and dissolution of the national spirit viewed through the eyes of a child, a single family, a small village.

Also notable is the film's sound design: in addition to impressionistic effects and music that hint at the horror/fantasy influence, Erice broke the tradition of post-dubbing dialogue to record his actors live on location. This is of particular importance with the younger actors, as children's voices were usually dubbed by adults.

The Spirit Of The Beehive won the top prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, as well as various Spanish critic's prizes. It is now regarded as a landmark in Spanish cinema history for its artistic merit as well as its depiction of time and place.

Running time is approx. 100 min.