The Spirit of the Beehive is a Spanish language drama film directed by Víctor Erice and was first distributed by Bocaccio Distribución in Spain on 8 October 1973, followed by a US theatrical release on 23 September 1976.
The book follows the young girl, Ana, as she attempts to navigate her life under the historically true Franco regime in Spain at the time. Ana quickly becomes fascinated with the movie, Frankenstein, translating the events of the film into her personal life, resulting in her finding her own “monster”.
The film was released at the time of the Franco regime, which saw many of the arts and humanities being censored. Despite this, Erice was praised for his ability to convey the realities of life under Franco’s tyranny, and was also an inspiration for the famed director, Guillermo del Toro’s, Spanish film, Pan's Labyrinth (2006).
