Héctor Alterio Movies

In this French-Mexican-Spanish film that hops back and forth between the narration's present and its past, viewers watch Antonieta (Isabelle Adjani) as she is involved in the turbulent Mexican political scene in the first decades of the 20th century -- as she goes to Paris and commits suicide in the Notre Dame cathedral of that city, and then, in a confusing segment of the film, as she is seen with the present-day Parisian author (Hanna Schygulla) who is researching the story of Antonieta's death and who is a witness to her suicide. The film does not follow that chronology exactly, rather introducing the Parisian author first, and taking the author to Mexico for her research where she sees film clips from the political turmoil of the 1910s-1920s and gradually gets to "know" Antonieta -- though in the end, it could be said that no one seems to know Antonieta really well, or why she would want to kill herself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Mañuel Azana was the last man elected as president of the Spanish Republic before the Spanish Civil War. In this 1970s film, Spanish schoolchildren are taught about him in their history classes but get the name confused, referring to him as "Hazana." Because for them he represents a kind of freedom not seen under the Franco regime, he stands for every kind of freedom. Since these youngsters in this film are suffering from an extremely rigid and dictatorial educational system, the name "Hazana" becomes a byword for them as they attempt in their own modest way to foment a revolution. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this Spanish-language crime thriller, an investigator from Buenos Aires, Argentina receives a summons from a South American businessman to spend several days in his beachside mansion. In mid-visit, the detective suddenly stumbles onto a heinous crime that prompted the entrepreneur's son to commit suicide. With time running out, the investigator must unravel the strands of the father's Machiavellian plot and pull in enough evidence to have the perpetrator arraigned ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Five different marriages have left a legacy of families and children and provide plenty of fodder for conflict and confusion when the much-married, famous and wealthy psychiatrist John Gielgud summons them all to his deathbed. While the assembled relatives get better acquainted, the dying man submits to one last television interview upstairs. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

An unlikely pair of outlaws take to the highway and become criminal folk heroes in this satiric comedy. Jose (Hector Alterio) is a 70-year-old anarchist who deposited $15,000 in a bank 20 years ago and wants to withdraw the money; however, he doesn't have the paperwork, and the bank staff keeps giving him the runaround. So he takes drastic measures: he arrives at the bank one day with a gun, and, pointing the pistol at his head, he announces that he'll blow his brains out if he doesn't get his money. Pedro (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a 23-year-old clerk working at the bank, is unhappy with his job and his life, and he impulsively announces that Jose has taken him hostage; they end up leaving the bank with $500,000, and they hit the road with both cops and reporters following their trail. Jose and Pedro seem like an odd team at first, but friendship and respect grow between them as they travel the backroads, spending some of the money, handing some of it out to poor people along the way, and sending occasional videotaped messages to the media. They also pick up a woman named Ana (Cecilia Dopazo), whose tough demeanor is intimidating but fits the situation perfectly; Pedro soon finds himself attracted to her as she joins in their low-level crime spree. Caballos Salvajes was the debut feature from Argentinean director Marcelo Pineyro, who became one of the most acclaimed young directors in South America on the basis of this and his second film, Cenizas del Paraiso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This Argentine drama begins with the suicide of respected judge Costa Makantasis (Hector Alterio). Each of his three adult sons confess to the murder of Ana (Leticia Bredice), and it's learned that her businessman father (Jorge Marrale) was being investigated by the judge. All three brothers and their father had an interest in Ana, whose story is revealed in flashbacks. An investigating judge, Dr. Beatriz Teller (Cecilia Roth) searches for the connection between the two deaths. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival, the alternate English title is Paradise Ashes. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Argentina's turbulent political history is an uncredited but clearly present protagonist in this rather slow-paced story about Ramon (Oscar Martinez) and his search for his brother Pedro in the capital city of Buenos Aires. Pedro has disappeared at a time of upheaval, after a military junta takes over Argentina in 1976, killing thousands of leftists and dissidents. Unlike many others, Ramon's father has political ties that matter, but that may not change Pedro's fate, which could be death -- or like some who have been tortured, worse than death. This film was nominated for a Golden Bear award at the 1985 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Carlos Saura wrote and directed this powerful psychological drama in which family crises which reflect the embattled soul of a nation are seen through the eyes of an unusually perceptive child. Ana (Ana Torrent) is an eight-year-old girl growing up in a troubled household -- her father Anselmo (Hector Alterio) is a general in the Spanish military during the waning days of Franco's repressive regime, and her mother (Geraldine Chaplin) is dead, Ana having witnessed her agonizing final moments. Anna, her older sister Irene (Conchita Perez) and younger sister Juana (Maite Sanchez) are looked after by their emotionally chilly Aunt Paulina (Monica Randall), while housekeeper Rosa (Florinda Chico) provides what little warmth there is to be found in the household. While Ana's mother is gone, the girl frequently sees and hears her mother's spirit, and is convinced Anselmo's emotional neglect and infidelity is responsible for her death, leading the youngster to take her own form of revenge against her father. The title Cria Cuervos is taken from a Spanish proverb -- "Raise ravens and they'll pluck out your eyes." The film was originally released in the United States under title Cria!, and has been screened in English-speaking territories as Raise Ravens and The Secret of Ana. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This film version of the classic Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes features Don Segundo Sombra as the heroic gaucho who rides the treeless pampas of his native land. The author's nephew Adolfo Guiraldes, an expert on Argentine folk stories, was chosen to play the title role. The director used the book instead of a script, as he faithfully shot scenes page-by-page to insure the authenticity demanded by the writer's heirs. A handful of professional actors augment the largely local cast of this slice of Argentine life from the beginning of the 20th century. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In a gross miscarriage of justice, based on an actual event, two men are falsely accused and convicted of the murder of a missing shepherd from a small Spanish village. A despotic district court judge and a right-wing congressman orchestrate the trial. The two men are subjected to brutal torture by sadistic guards to exact a confession of guilt. The men serve 6 years of a 15-year prison term before they are released, and they later discover their alleged victim is alive and well in a neighboring village. The 15-minute torture scene is harrowing, as is the subsequent passage of the exhuming of human corpses. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Pedro is a low-level cog in a vast advertising agency, constantly being threatened by his demonic female boss. He is given to visualizing the overbearing woman in a variety of appropriate roles. One day, he discovers that he has inherited a fortune so enormous that he could liquidate Argentina's entire foreign debt with it. While it is gratifying to have former bullies attempt to curry favor with him, not much else about having so much money turns out to be fun. In this comedy, filled with local and contemporary (mid-1980s) references which are likely to make sense only to another Argentinian, he not only liquidates his country's foreign debt, but he experiences the disintegration of his personal life under the pressure of his riches before he is assassinated in Europe. However, that's not the end, as he wakes up and his dream threatens to take form in real life. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide