I first watched this when I was a kid and it made a profound impression on me. Since as a grown up I am very much into biopics, I decided to check it out on DVD -- half expecting for it to be a disappointment.
Surprisingly, it has aged quite graciously, and it remains eminently watchable. There are a few grating things, obviously: first, the dubbing. It was an international production and I have no idea which language it was shot in (if any: as at the time it was common practice for the actors to say gobbledygook if there was no direct sound recording), but the dubbing in Italian is truly and well pedestrian, reminiscent of an online Russian bootleg. A modern text-to-speech software would probably inject more sentiment into the dialogues and have a better lip-sync. Second, it clocks at just above four hours, and especially at the beginning and the end, you start to notice all the filler shots that don't add anything to the atmosphere and narration and are just there to pass the time. Some sequences could be cut in half and being improved in the process.
But, despite these faults, there are still many moments of genuine emotion, and Harvey Keitel and Angela Molina are a pleasure to watch. One thing that I find striking, it's that as a kid I was absolutely enthralled by the both of them, but seeing it now I mostly appreciate how both characters are unspeakably wounded, and how a successful life ends up being a slog for both of them (which makes for a quite sad movie).
This is not a true-to-life biopic: it has been inspired by a novel which in turn had been inspired by the life of Carolina Otero. As far as I am aware, some of the main characters may be pure invention. Still, if you are into flamenco or vintage television, or if you just want a ton of eye candy in the shape of the two very comely protagonists, it's worth checking this out.
Surprisingly, it has aged quite graciously, and it remains eminently watchable. There are a few grating things, obviously: first, the dubbing. It was an international production and I have no idea which language it was shot in (if any: as at the time it was common practice for the actors to say gobbledygook if there was no direct sound recording), but the dubbing in Italian is truly and well pedestrian, reminiscent of an online Russian bootleg. A modern text-to-speech software would probably inject more sentiment into the dialogues and have a better lip-sync. Second, it clocks at just above four hours, and especially at the beginning and the end, you start to notice all the filler shots that don't add anything to the atmosphere and narration and are just there to pass the time. Some sequences could be cut in half and being improved in the process.
But, despite these faults, there are still many moments of genuine emotion, and Harvey Keitel and Angela Molina are a pleasure to watch. One thing that I find striking, it's that as a kid I was absolutely enthralled by the both of them, but seeing it now I mostly appreciate how both characters are unspeakably wounded, and how a successful life ends up being a slog for both of them (which makes for a quite sad movie).
This is not a true-to-life biopic: it has been inspired by a novel which in turn had been inspired by the life of Carolina Otero. As far as I am aware, some of the main characters may be pure invention. Still, if you are into flamenco or vintage television, or if you just want a ton of eye candy in the shape of the two very comely protagonists, it's worth checking this out.
