Ana Torrent Movies
Spanish lead actress in international films, former juvenile, onscreen from the '70s. ~ All Movie Guide
Widely regarded as a masterpiece of Spanish cinema, this allegorical tale is set in a remote village in the 1940s. The life in the village is calm and uneventful -- an allegory of Spanish life after General Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War. While their father (Fernando Fernán Gómez) studies bees in his beehive and their mother (Teresa Gimpera) writes letters to a non-existent correspondent, two young girls, Ana (Ana Torrent) and Isabel (Isabel Telleria), go to see James Whale's Frankenstein at a local cinema. Though they can hardly understand the concept, both girls are deeply impressed with the moment when a little girl gives a flower to the monster. Isabel, the older sister, tells Ana that the monster actually exists as a spirit that you can't see unless you know how to approach him. Ana starts wandering around the countryside in search of the kind creature. The film received critical accolades for its subtle and masterful use of cinematic language and the expressive performance of the young Ana Torrent. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, (more)
- 1974
Video art by Willoughby Sharp. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1975
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
- 1977
On the heels of his award-winning Cria cuevos (Raise Ravens), Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura dashed off the muted psychological drama Elisa, My Love. Geraldine Chaplin stars as Elisa, who after an absence of 20 years is reunited with her father, Fernando Rey (in a superb performance, which won him the Cannes Film Festival "Best Actor" prize ). Having just divested herself of an unhappy marriage, Elisa hopes to heal old, long-standing family wounds. Inasmuch as Saura thrives on exploring "unspeakable" subjects in his films, one can gather that the relationship between Elisa and her father may be far more complex than it seems at first. Elisa, Vida Mia was released in English-speaking countries as Elisa, My Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This performance of Bach's classic religious composition takes place in the ruins of the Fontenay Abbey in Burgundy, France, where a 12-year-old girl (Ana Torrent) is encountering the music of Bach for the first time. The choral music is performed by the Gaechinger Kantorei Stuttgart and the Bach-Kollegium Stuttgart, and the orchestra and choirs are directed by Helmut Rilling. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Torrent, Arleen Auger, (more)
- 1980
- PG
The complex relationship between a thirteen-year-old girl (Ana Torrent) and an old man living in lonely but wealthy splendor is the focus of this drama. Alejandro (Hector Alterio) spends his time playing chess on a computer, riding his horses, or enjoying classical music. His life starts to change under the influence of young Goyita (Torrent) who slowly becomes a friend and then begins to impose on him in not-so-subtle ways. First she wants him to burn his dead wife's clothing, and before long she intends to involve him in a plot of revenge against a Civil Guard. Torrent received a 1980 Best Actress award at the Montreal Film Festival for her performance. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Héctor Alterio, Ana Torrent, (more)
- 1983
In a curiously undefined story about a macho-man who roughs up his very attractive but submissive wife and feisty teenage daughter just because he cannot relate to them in any other way, director Gustav Emck has created interesting characters with no apparent motivation for their behavior. In the end, the situation deteriorates so much that the daughter convinces her mother they had better get out for their own good health, and the two escape into an uncertain future. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Manz, Walt Davis, (more)
- 1985
This literary film is imbued with the disenchantment of Spanish exiles who left their homes to protest Franco's fascist regime and then returned after its demise to find that democracy had not instilled either ethics or deep motivation in government leaders. Director Basilio Martin Patino presents his story, and a large part of the film is based on his own life, through the experiences of an exiled heroine played by Charo Lopez. She has returned to Spain to look for meaning in her life, something that she never found living in Germany, not even after having a child. She is also in the process of translating the German lyric poet Friederich Holderlin (see the 1985 Halfte Des Lebens) into Spanish, focusing on his epic Hyperion. Excerpts from the translation are voiced over throughout the film. As she looks up old friends from many, many years ago, even those who have achieved worldly success are suffering from the same ennui that propelled her back home. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charo Lopez, Miguel Narros, (more)
Previously filmed in 1922 with Rudolph Valentino and in 1940 with Tyrone Power, Vicente Blasco Ibanez's mystical bullfight novel Blood & Sand was given a third big-screen treatment in 1989. Though filmed in Spain by a Spanish director, the 1989 Blood & Sand casts American actor Christopher Rydell as the bullfighter hero. Also hailing from the USA is a pre-Basic Instinct Sharon Stone, playing the vamp role previously essayed in 1922 by Nita Naldi and in 1940 by Rita Hayworth. The story remains the same: a dirt-poor youth rises to fame and fortune in the bull ring, forgets his roots, cheats on his wife, has a last-minute change of heart, and pays for his sins in grotesque fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rydell, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1992
In Basque country, feuds, governments, and wars come and go, while cows placidly observe the strange behaviors of the humans who care for them. In 1875, during a massacre inspired by an out-of-control family feud, a farmer and his friend find themselves in a ditch together. One of them dies, and the other survives by playing possum using his friend's blood as a disguise. As the film flashes forward in time, the man is now a grandfather who amuses himself by painting the tranquil gaze of cows over and over again, while he observes that his son is having an affair with his dead friend's granddaughter. Finally, during the Civil War in 1936, violence again mars the life of the family, as the illegitimate son of the earlier affair attempts to make headway with his life. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Suarez, Carmelo Gómez, (more)
- 1995
Little Felipe has been sick for a long time. To hasten his recovery, his parents send him to spend the summer of 1958 in the villa of his grandparents, located in the wealthy quarter of Cadiz. The warm climate of southern Spain is good for the boy, but the inhabitants of the great home may be a different story as all the relatives within are a tad strange. There Felipe meets his great-grandmother and her tough nurse Adoracion who patiently listens to grandmama's reminiscence's of the bandoleros who died for her. Felipe is not allowed to leave his bed, but his hours pass pleasantly thanks to the ministrations of the sexy Mari, a virgin, who loves to tease her four strapping aspiring lovers. As the summer progresses, Felipe interacts with all of his relatives and from their strange behavior finds himself learning an awful lot about life and love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The debut feature from Spanish wunderkind Alejandro Amenábar (Open Your Eyes, The Others), Tesis is a thriller starring Ana Torrent as Ángela Márquez, a film student who, while researching for a thesis paper on violence in cinema, stumbles upon a snuff film featuring the murder of a former student at the university. Enlisting the help of classmate and violent-movie buff Chema (Fele Martínez), Angela begins an investigation into the crime that leads them to several suspects. One of them is Bosco (Eduardo Noriega), a handsome classmate to whom Angela finds herself attracted, much to the chagrin of Cheme. Tesis was the recipient of seven awards at the 1997 Goya Awards including Best Film. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Writer-directors Felix Sabroso and Dunia Ayaso made this Spanish comedy-drama with an "inside television" angle. TV host Miranda Vega (Maria Conchita Alonso) heads a variety talk-show format. Confronted with plummeting ratings, she is forced to try a different approach that brings singing hookers, drug addicts, and other no-talents into the studio. Miranda feuds with lesbian actress Marta Pena (Loles Leon), prompting Marta's companion Soraya (Malena Gustierrez), a "karate artiste," to participate in the variety show. Chaos reigns when the show goes on the air live. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Conchita Alonso, Loles Leon, (more)
Set in 17th century Mexico, Ave Maria tells the story of Maria Ines (Tere Lopez Tarin), a novice at a Spanish mission whose father is a major figure in the court of Spain. Maria is exceptionally bright and a student of astronomy, botany, and cartography, but her desire to expand her horizons does not make her popular with the friars of the mission, especially Father Serra (Alfredo Sevilla). When Maria's father kills himself, she finds she is no longer a favored novice at the convent, demoted to performing physical labor rather than intellectual exercises. Maria becomes delusional and starts hearing voices as she obsessively cleans the floors of the chapel. Abandoning her inheritance and her last vestiges of privilege, she leaves the mission to work among the poor, where she is said to be able to heal the sick with her faith. The fathers at the convent are outraged, and one, Father Cuna (Damian Alcazar), who has already killed Father Serra to seize control of the mission, makes it clear that Maria is to be stopped at all cost. The directorial debut from Eduardo Rossoff, Ave Maria was shown at the 1999 Guadalajara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tere Lopez-Tarin, Damián Alcázar, (more)
- 2000
The life and death of real-life terrorist Dolores Gonzalez helped inspire this troubling political drama. Yoyes (Ana Torrent) is a member of the ETA, a group of Basque terrorists staging political actions in Spain under the leadership of Argi (Inaki Aierra). Yoyes finds herself losing faith in the ETA's cause after Argi dies during a bombing; she soon drops out of terrorism, goes underground, and moves to Mexico, where she goes back to college and receives a Ph.D. A dozen years later, Yoyes travels to Paris when her husband Joxean (Ernesto Alterio) gets a teaching position with a French University. When Joxean decides to visit the Basque regions with their daughter Zurine (Laura Ballesta), Yoyes decides to join them, knowing it puts her at great personal risk. The Spanish government uses Yoyes' return for their own political ends, while her former ETA colleagues falsely believe that her presence there means that she has turned informant in exchange for permission to return home. Yoyes stars Ana Torrent, who first made a name for herself in the mid-1970s as a child actress in El Espiritu de la Colmena and Cria Cuervos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Inaki Aierra, Ernesto Alterio, (more)
Five women from wildly divergent backgrounds find themselves swapping views on feminism, politics, and culture in this talky ensemble drama. Magdalena (Diana Bracho) is the coordinator of Mexico City's Latin American Women's Film Festival, and she's brought together five women to review and rate the year's entries. Joan (Geraldine Chaplin) is a lesbian film writer from New York whose views on the cinema are just as extreme as her position on gender politics. Maruja (Ana Torrent) is a mainstream film producer from Spain. Mariana (Carmen Montejo) is a veteran filmmaker whose career broke new ground for women in the Latin American film industry. Balsher (Carola Reyna) is a political filmmaker exiled from her native land. And Julia (Haydee de Lev) is a woman from Uruguay who has spent nearly a decade and a half in prison. As the women gather to watch a variety of different films made by women, they often find themselves arguing about the issues raised by the films and about how they impact women and society as a whole. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carola Reyna, Geraldine Chaplin, (more)
A young woman surrounded by war and death attempts to find happiness amongst the ashes in director Rosa Vergés' affecting tale of one woman's undying passion for life. Despite the destruction that rains down around her, Iris remains unwaveringly hopeful about the future. When happiness does finally come in to her life, the beauty that it brings offers hope for the future and a reason to carry on amidst all the strife. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silke, Ana Torrent, (more)
Adapted from author Philippa Gregory's historical novel of the same name, director Justin Chadwick's atmospheric period drama follows the fierce competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to win the affections of Tudor king Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Anne and Mary Boleyn are under pressure from their father and uncle to help maintain the family's rich legacy and ensure their further prosperity by winning the affections of none other than the king of England (Eric Bana). But life in the royal court is far different than it was in the countryside where these two sisters were raised, and before long their bid to earn the love of the king has transformed two once-happy sisters into bitter rivals. At first, it appears that Mary has triumphed in winning the king's favor by becoming his mistress and bearing him an illegitimate child. Despite her early success, however, Mary has underestimated just how clever and cunning her sibling can truly be. Not only does the relentless Anne manage to edge aside her sister in the eyes of King Henry, but she also succeeds in averting his gaze from his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, as well. Mary is driven by genuine affection for King Henry, while her sister Anne has only kept up the charade in a desperate bid to become the queen of England. Now, the growing chasm between two sisters is mirrored on a larger scale as England becomes divided more than ever before. As the consequences of their actions threaten to alter the course of an entire nation, these two sisters will ultimately discover that the only place they will find true strength and loyalty is in family, and that no matter what the consequences they will forever be bound by blood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, (more)
- 2008
A woman losing her grip on her sanity discovers that the caring stranger who comes to her aid may ruin her life in this thriller. Fernanda Segovia (Cuca Escribano) and Enrique Gonzalvo (Fele Martinez) are a pair of editors and literary agents who have guided the career of writer Camila Ponte (Julieta Cardinali), transforming her into one of Europe's leading literary celebrities on the strength of her wildly successful first novel. Camila has been working on her second book, but stress, depression and writers' block have stalled the project, and Fernanda and Enrique fear Camila is on the verge of an emotional collapse. A benefactor arrives at Camila's doorstep in the form of Vera Galindo (Ana Torrent), a keen admirer of her work who offers to take her away from the pressure of life in the city. Vera escorts Camila to a beautiful hotel in a small country town, where innkeeper Palmira (Angela Molina) offers her customers peace, quiet and solitude. Camila thrives in her new surroundings, and Fernanda and Enrique are happy to hear that she's become newly productive since getting away from it all. But Fernanda and Enrique soon learn Vera is not as benevolent as she seemed -- she has evidence that proves Camila's first novel was actually the work of her father, and that the successful author is in fact a fraud. 14, Fabian Road was written and directed by Jaime de Arminan; it was his first feature film since El Palomo Cojo in 1995. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Torrent, Julieta Cardinali, (more)
