Belle Epoque (1992)

It's the winter of 1930. The Spanish civil war is building. Fernando deserts the Army. After months of wandering the countryside, he gets arrested when he's found with a bible. The policemen argue about letting him go and get themselves killed. Fernando befriends the elderly Manolo who introduces him to his four beautiful daughters. Clara is still mourning her husband. Violeta is a lesbian. Rocío (Maribel Verdú) is being wooed by a young man from a rich family. The youngest Luz (Penélope Cruz) is the innocent. He has a fling with each one but they all fall apart in turn until Luz.

There is some fun to this movie. The main drawback is Fernando. It's no doubt that Jorge Sanz is a beautiful boy but he is a boy among women. By reason of the plot, he can't be the pursuer of the sisters. Time and time again, things happen to him instead of the other way around. It's also a bit of a male fantasy movie. The humor struggles to rise above the awkwardness. For example, the opening with the two policemen is gallows humor but the suicide is off-putting. It would be infinitely funnier if he simply slip away while the two men argued. I understand the humor but some of it struck me wrong. Overall, there is some fun and there are the four beautiful individual female characters.

Fmovies: A man being seduced by four beautiful sisters; no other comment should be necessary. But this movie has excellent character development, funny dialogues, beautiful cinematography and an irresistible overall charm. Although this movie might be more enjoyable to guys (like me), I don't think any woman would find it offensive at all. It's a very enjoyable movie

Belle Epoque has many layers. At it's core is a romance which is surrounded and disguised by a classic sex farce that is itself enveloped by a philosophical tale all wrapped up in a bittersweet historical setting. Spain is, as throughout it's history, in a political struggle. In this case, a battle between the dying monarchy and the emergent republic which is,as these things go, a mild one leaving most Spaniards to enjoy their lives during this "Belle Epoque". Those familiar with it's history know that this is the short calm before the storm of the Spanish Civil War in which the Republic is replaced by the Fascist dictatorship of Franco through a bloody war. My favorite setpiece is the dance where Violeta wears Fernando's uniform and dresses him in a ball gown and wig; the rest must be seen to be believed! A lovely film! And why the devil isn't it on DVD!?

Belle Epoque fmovies. Comical (farce at times), deeply human movie about an army deserter who meets up with a kindly, old, artistic gent who offers him refuge. The deserter is packed up and ready to go, until the artist's four beautiful daughters arrive. This sets in motion a plot that will keep you laughing, dialogue that will keep you thinking and characters that will keep you entertained. The humor is not forced and the chuckle is at life's absurdities, politics, most of all, human nature. Momma's entrance into the story is unique and melodic, to say the least. The movie is kind of kooky and not a by-the-numbers flick, and a satisfying watch. Sidebar: It did get the Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film.

"Belle Epoque" is a light-hearted comedy romp which tells of the goings-on at a Spanish villa (circa 1931) involving a patriarch, his four beautiful and amorous daughters, and a wayward young man who can't say "no". Fanciful, warm, fun, and sexy, this Oscar winning film flows like honey as it aims for the heart, not the crotch or head, and hits the mark. Most likely to be appreciated by more seasoned viewers with an interest in Europics. (A-)

Note - This film has considerable dialogue making for significant subtitle reading for non-Spanish speakers.

Belle Epoque is one of those movies you don't see every weekend at the theatre. It is a film set in a certain age (in this case: Spain during the times of the civil war), where the age itself is not very important, but it effects the way the story evolves. The best thing of all in this film is the acting and the comedy. The farce is excellent - hardly ever seen a film with such intelligent humourism. The first time I saw the film was in Spanish and I laughed my guts out (even though I do not know Spanish a lot ). The story too is not too complicated and at the same time it is not at all banal. The highlight of the film, in my opinion, is when the wife of Manolo goes to visit him and starts singing an aria from some opera. Some of the comic highlights of this movie are when Rojio is asked to try her mother-in-law -to-be's wedding dress and when Juanito enters her bed. The best quote from the film is Clara's: "A Woman cannot stay without a man, especially at night." Anyway, just about everything about this movie is great. Well, in short, WATCH IT