THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE ( EL ESPIRITU DE LA COLMENA )

Some regard this masterpiece as sheer poetry , others as magic itself , most as both sublimely combined.

Many a thesis could be written about the opening credits alone.Drawings that suggest some of the thematic landmarks , accompanied by haunting yet enchanting music.



The drawings of the opening overture sequence subtly  position  the viewer firmly into seeing the story from the perspective of the Children.

This scene allows you to share the most intimate secret thoughts , hidden from even their parents , whispered  in the most delicate barely audible hushed tones.



One is drawn into their Universe of inquisitiveness , curiousity and hope.Realising , the best we can give them in return is a mere world , a flawed one at that.

It is difficult to imagine in the exquisite perfect performances you are watching Children playing a role , not seasoned actors exhibiting a craft.

So much could be , has been , and will be written about the many myriad overflowing layers of metaphor , symbolism and meanings of this quite remarkable transcendent timeless work of Art that it is difficult to know when and where to start.This review  comes close to superficially touching and attesting the profound enthralling quality it has on filmmakers and casual viewing public alike.

I once showed a dozen or so classic non-American films to students at the Royal College of Art. To my surprise, despite the fact that the list included the work of such world-renowned directors as Luis Bunuel, Satyajit Ray and Kenji Mizoguchi, the film they fell in love with was Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive. They rightly thought it close to magic. It is one of the most beautiful and arresting films ever made in Spain, or anywhere in the past 25 years or so.

It is only right we have got so far before we even come to the political and social commentary undertones of this, more ways than one, purest quixotic art.This is a film to be enjoyed and savoured even if only watched in the surface tale of Children and Imaginings.

The film , in an odd way , was helped by the censor.Originally the film envisioned the Child Character Ana ( in the picture above) being played by an adult Ana looking back.But keeping Ana as a child coming to terms with the Frankenstein of the Adult world gives the film a universal quality that goes beyond borders and time to touch the spirit any person from any society that rules by creating or manipulating fear.The review below looks at a very few of the symbolic themes a sophisticated audience observing under the conditions known as "Franco aesthetics" would have honed into.

The gaping holes in the plot of The Spirit of the Beehive and the mysterious motivations of its characters are typical of this "Francoist aesthetic," a term used to describe artistically ambitious movies of the time that made use of fantasy and allegory. These characteristics, which remain so magical to modern audiences, were used in the period as a form of indirect critique.

As said before there are so many metaphors , sub-plots , symbolism and double meanings in this extraordinary work it can be the mother of a thousand thesis or more.The example in the link below gives an indication of how drunk with meaning a close deep study of the film and its symbols can get.

Here is a quote from the article.

The colour red is important in the film. It symbolizes the red cap of the hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushroom. The mushroom is shown during the opening titles, and the fly agaric is also mentioned in the mushroom picking scene with the father. On the children's green (forest) headboards of their beds are red flowers with white dots, painted so as to resemble the mushroom, and their sheets also contain red flowers. And even Ana's mother is wearing a red shirt with white dots. Ana's school case, which she carries around everywhere, is also red: like the red mushroom it is a vessel of knowledge. St Jerome in the painting has a red cardinal's hat, like a red mushroom cap ("cap" comes from the Latin "caput", meaning "head").

And we could go on and on about The Cat (one of the greatest performances by an Animal on record) or the correspondence of Teresa , or the landscape.And , of course , Franco and Frankenstein and last and not least Bees.

The best way to enjoy the film is to watch it (below) and make it mean what it means to you.