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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Slow, but with deliciously intelligent dialog, keen, full of irony - A MUST SEE, 2 October 2005
10/10
Author: jabse from United States

This was Fernando Rey's last movie as an actor, he died shortly after. And what a way to say good-bye. The plot is rather simple: two screen writers, one old and accomplished (Rey), the other one in the learning curve, but young and smart, hide away in a monastery to escape writer's block and concentrate on a piece of work they must do against a tight time line. But against this simple plot, both men confront the essentials of live: one's work and creative art, love, lust, youth and aging, and ultimately, death. Their task and sense of duty is constantly challenged by the pleasures of life, landscape, food, the enjoyment of a walk in the country, and the final and definitive distraction: a mysterious, sensuous woman.

What makes this movie is the dialog, one of the most intelligent, picaresque, ironic dialogs of any film. Shot against a beautiful landscape.

I've seen it twice, and I've decided to buy it. A must in anybody who loves good intelligent films, out of the ordinary.

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A mise en abîme..., 28 August 2006
8/10
Author: bpeb-1 from United Kingdom

This is a delightful and entertaining film about two script-writers sent to a monastery by their producer to complete their script without distractions. But as they work on their film for a Sean Connery melodrama set in nineteenth-century Scotland, their own lives follow the plot they are inventing. The script is engaging and very witty (I do not normally burst out laughing when watching a film on television), the cinematography is impressive, the music based on variations of the Mexican popular song "La llorona" is both suggestive and meaningful. I would appreciate reading reactions to this film from viewers who know little of Spanish cinema, unable to recognise the endearing monks trying to save their monastery by exploiting the tourist industry, or who know nothing of Luis Buñuel and his working relationship with Jean-Claude Carrière and his casting of Fernando Rey since "Viridiana" in 1961, especially his last Cet Obscur Objet du désir -by coincidence this film was Fernando Rey's last film as well. All these references turn the script and story into a real jewel and a brilliant homage to both Spanish popular comedies and to Luis Buñuel. The acting is also superb in its understatement of extravagant characters. P.S. The locations in Aragón are as beautiful as those of the proposed Scotland (I should know, my heart is Scottish).

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Slow but excellent, intelligent dialog, simple plot but deep, 2 November 2005
9/10
Author: Alyson_Carter from California, USA

A slow but thoroughly enjoyable movie, particularly for those of us who are lucky to understand the original Spanish, since the dialog is the best part of the movie. Full of irony and reflections about what's really important in life. Superb acting by Fernando Rey.

This movie is not for somebody seeking quick action and sound bytes; it's for those who enjoy a slowly developing plot, reaching climax at the end, with good photography, intelligent dialog, superb acting and an irony that keeps a devilish smile on you. Although the end is hard to believe, it keeps you thinking about it (and about life) for quite a while.

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0 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Beautifully shot but slow, so slow..., 22 December 2004
Author: Boris Grushenko

Fernando Rey and Gonzalo Vega feature as two screenwriters who retreat to a monastery to pen their next work. During their stay, they witness the slow toil of monastic life and become fixated upon a local girl, played by Maribel Verdu.

There is very little plot to speak of - the two writers compete for the affection of Verdu, even though Fernando Rey looks more like her grandfather. Maribel performs excellently as the wily minx looking to be cast in a screen role.

The saving grace of the film is the beautiful lush setting and insight into monastic life.

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