Manuel Alexandre Movies

Eschewing a realistic depiction of Franco's Spain in the 1940s, director Fernando Trueba uses a touch of sarcastic humor in painting a 16-year-old's brief stay in a TB sanatorium. Manolo (Jorge Sanz) is one of two brothers who ends up in a tuberculosis sanatorium that is specifically designed for somewhat younger children. Manolo's problem is that he is experiencing the first stirrings of sexual desire and cannot look upon the female nurses and staff with the innocent eyes of the other children. His first overtures to one of the nurses meets with rejection; in fact, the nurse leaves the sanatorium. Manolo really asks for trouble when he falls for another pretty nurse and she herself becomes attracted to him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Franco-Spanish Calle Mayor (aka Main Street and The Lovemaker) is an excellent showcase for the underrated and brilliant American actress Betsy Blair. In a reprise of her characterization in Marty, Blair plays Isabelle, a repressed, unmarried 35-year-old. As a cruel joke, a group of middle-aged men persuade a handsome but thick-headed hunk named Juan (Jose Suarez) to romance the reclusive Isabelle. When it becomes clear that she is hopelessly in love with him, the pangs of conscience begin exercising their prerogative on Juan. He is able to extricate himself from this awkward emotional entanglement, but the price that he and Isabelle are forced to pay is precious indeed. Calle Mayor was able to secure American bookings on the strength of the success of director Juan Antonio Bardem's previous film Death of a Cyclist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in the mid-1980s, this sitcom-like domestic comedy centers on a bright young man's endeavors to escape his crazy family life. Jorge's ordeal began when his recently-widowed mother Carmen moved herself, him and his brother Alvaro into her parent's comfortable but strange middle-class home. Their grandfather is a stern Francoist general suffering from alcoholism, memory loss and an earnest desire to launch a military coup. Their grandmother is stone deaf, domineering and has not spoken to her husband in years. Duli the maid never stops smiling. An introverted intellectual sort in his late teens, Jorge finds the situation difficult to accept. His rebellious brother Alvaro, who wants to be a Mod and turn Madrid into a riotous version of Brighton Beach during the mid- '60s, also hates it there, but as their mother is busily studying for her college degree, they have little choice. Jorge turns to stealing money from his increasingly forgetful grandfather in order to escape the crazy household. While Jorge busily makes himself rich, the grandfather somehow manages to pull off his coup. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the ancient Phoenician city now known as Almería on the southeastern coast of Spain, three Civil Guards were convicted in 1981 of torturing and then murdering three men that were suspected Basque terrorists. This well-paced and suspenseful docudrama is about that case and how the courageous prosecutor -- insightfully interpreted by Agustín Gonzalez -- had to persevere in the face of death threats to himself and his family, had to brave the ominous power of the Civil Guards of Spain, and had to overcome the judges' reluctance to proceed with the case. The chilling presence of the Civil Guards at every turn in the court trial are like fascist remnants from the rule of Francisco Franco that ended only five years or so before these murders were committed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Two aging Spanish widowers find their fading passion for romance unexpectedly rekindled during a visit to Rome's Trevi Fountain in this romantic comedy starring China Zorrilla and Manuel Alexandre. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Behind the peaceful walls of an impoverished medieval Spanish convent lies a teeming hotbed of ambition, lies and double-crossing as can be seen in this powerful, thought-provoking drama that is based upon Jesus Fernandez Santos' novel. The convent is set in an arid area and sole support comes from the local duke. The plague has been ravaging the surrounding town and panicky residents who are not yet afflicted flee. Sister Angela becomes ill and is nursed by her devoted friend Sister Ana. Angela slowly gets stronger and as she does, she begins reading about the lives of the saints. She begins to believe that the only way to save the decimated village from further chaos is to host a miracle. Sister Angela then has Sister Ana make deep slices into her palms to look like stigmata. The townsfolk believe that Angela's hands are bleeding spontaneously, but the mother superior isn't so sure and sets out to prove the miracle a fake. She can't and the villagers begin to revere Sister Angela as a saint. The mother superior can't bear this, and when Sister Angela is elected the new prioress, she goes over the edge with her desire for revenge. Things get even worse when the duke shows up and promises to give the convent enough support to make them one of the most powerful in Spain if they will host his daughter, who is thinking about joining the nunnery. Unfortunately, the haughty young woman is more interested in running things her own way. The deposed mother superior conspires with her at every opportunity, and when Sister Angela's palms suddenly becoming dangerously infected, the prioress finally gets her chance for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This shoot-em-up is set in Valencia, Spain at the end of the 19th century, and stars Terence Hill as a close-mouthed gunslinger. The bad guy in this case is the local landlord and aristocrat (Fernando Rey), who horribly abuses the laborers in his community. Romantic interest is provided by Maria Grazia Bucella, as the local inn-keeper. Efforts to depict an actual historical situation keep the pace from being too rapid, but otherwise this is a more-or-less standard western with an unusual locale. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide