Benito Pérez Galdós Movies

Rodrigo de Arista (Fernando Fernan-Gomez) is an elderly Spanish gentleman who went to the United States in hopes of cashing in on the gold rush, but returned to Northern Spain with very little to show for his efforts. He discovers upon his arrival that his son has died, leaving behind a wife, Lucrecia (Cayetana Guillen-Cuervo) and two daughters. However, a note from his late son informs Rodrigo that he fathered one of the children, but the other is a bastard that his wife conceived in an adulterous relationship with a French painter. Rodrigo is determined to find out which of the two children is his real granddaughter; his relationship with Lucrecia, which was never cordial, is now strained even further when she realizes that Rodrigo knows her secret and could destroy her reputation in the small town that she calls home. Rodrigo is aided in his search for the truth by Pio Coronado (Rafael Alonso), an old friend who also tutors the two children. El Abuelo received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999; it was also nominated for 13 Goya Awards, Spain's leading prize for excellence in filmmaking, with Fernando Fernan-Gomez taking home the trophy for Best Actor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When an elderly relative (Francisco Rabal) who has made a fortune in the Americas returns to Spain for a visit with his relatives, the mother (Conchita Velasco) of a bevy of daughters feels certain that at least one of them can snare him for a secure future. Imagine her frustration, then, when the old fellow falls in love with the family's servant girl (Ana Belen). Not only is she haplessly preventing the family's daughters from snaring a mate, the servant has been having an affair with a priest which was not good for anyone. In the end, the old man's love prevails, the conscience-ridden priest is freed of his entanglement, and the newly married couple move out of the country. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Luis Buñuel's Tristana is a surreal criticism of Catholicism and the modern world, told through the story of the title character, who is portrayed by Catherine Deneuve. Tristana is a young Spanish woman left to the care of Don Lope (Fernando Rey), the protective but impoverished aristocrat. Don sells his possessions to avoid manual labor and champions the causes of the dispossessed and downtrodden of society. He takes advantage of the vulnerable Tristana, who leaves him when she falls in love with Horacio (Franco Nero). Unable to commit to him, she returns to Don Lope when she falls ill. He asks for her hand in marriage, and she accepts after losing her leg to cancer. She chooses to remain in a passionless union rather than be subject to the harsh realities of a society that refuses to change to the needs of women. Taken from the novel by celebrated author Benito Perez Galdos, the film -- wherein director Buñuel takes his usual jabs at religion and politics -- is a tribute to the author on the 50th anniversary of his death. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi