Director
Víctor Erice
Leading Actors/Actresses
Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Isabel Tellería, Ketty de la Cámara, Estanis González, José Villasante
Genre
Drama
Language
Spanish
Awards
1973 Chicago International Film Festival for Silver Hugo; 1973 San Sebastián International Film Festival for Golden Seashell; 1974 Cinema Writers Circle Awards for Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Director.
Date of Release
8 October 1973
Producer
Elías Querejeta
Setting and Context
Set in 1940 on the Castilian plateau.
Narrator and Point of View
Told from Ana's point of view.
Tone and Mood
Melancholic, Desperate, Desolate, Innocent
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Ana Torrent and the antagonist is the Franco regime.
Major Conflict
The country has been through a devastating war that has left it under the rule of a totalitarian government. As such, the film follows the mindset of the people through the perspective of a young girl learning about the concept of life and death.
Climax
When Ana runs away and the Frankenstein’s monster approaches her in the forest while the villagers search for her
Foreshadowing
The theme of death in the film Frankenstein foreshadows Ana encountering a dying soldier in their sheepfold.
Understatement
“Why did the monster kill the girl; and why was it killed in the end?”
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The director emphasizes the theme of isolation through cinematography that relies on wide shots and fewer close-ups.
Allusions
The film alludes to the atmosphere during the Franco regime that created a society resembling a beehive. Essentially, the fascist government fostered fear and anxiety among the people leading to a sense of isolation.
Paradox
While the Frankenstein film is interpreted the same by many, Ana sees the naivety and innocence of the monster and questions the absurdity of killing it.
Parallelism
The narrative parallels the Frankenstein film with Franco's rule to highlight how the Republicans were treated by the regime.
