EL AMOR BRUJO is the third entry in Spanish director Saura's flamenco dance trilogy, preceded in 1981 by BLOOD WEDDING and in 1983 by CARMEN. This time Saura and his choreographer, Gades, have turned to the Manuel de Falla opera for their source of inspiration.
Using much of the cast from CARMEN--Del Sol has here been relegated to a supporting role, and Hoyos has been given the lead--Saura has set the film on an exotically colored and stylishly designed studio set of a Madrid shantytown. Jimenez and Hoyos are gypsies who have been betrothed since
childhood--when their fathers, having drunk too much wine, confirmed the arrangement. Early in the film a splendid wedding takes place, but we learn that each partner has another love interest. Gades admires Hoyos from a distance, while Jimenez is having an affair with the gorgeous Del Sol.
Following the critical and commercial success of CARMEN, which became one of Spain's highest-grossing pictures and received an Academy Award nomination as Best Foreign Film, EL AMOR BRUJO has been considerably less appreciated by critics and audiences alike, perhaps because the general audience is
more familiar with Bizet's Carmen than with de Falla's El Amor Brujo. BRUJO is somewhat more stylized that its two predecessors, with some wonderfully fluid camera moves to highlight the cinematography. The dancing is equally astounding and, according to some enthusiasts, benefits from Hoyos'
having taken over the lead from Del Sol. leave a comment
