The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently The Spirit of the Beehive is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Criterion Channel
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Fernando Fernán Gómez
Fernando
Teresa Gimpera
Teresa
Ana Torrent
Ana
Isabel Tellería
Isabel
Laly Soldevila
Doña Lucía
Miguel Picazo
Médico
José Villasante
Frankenstein
Juan Margallo
Fugitivo
Estanis González
Guardia civil
Ketty de la Cámara
Milagros, la criada
Víctor Erice
Director
Francisco J. Querejeta
Screenplay
Adolfo Cofiño
Set Decoration
Jaime Chávarri
Art Direction
Pablo G. del Amo
Editor
Luis de Pablo
Original Music Composer
Media.
Details.
Release DateOctober 8, 1973
Original NameEl espíritu de la colmena
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 39m
Filming LocationsMadrid, Spain
Genres
Last updated:
Wiki.
The Spirit of the Beehive (Spanish: El espíritu de la colmena) is a 1973 Spanish drama film directed and co-written by Víctor Erice. The film was Erice's feature directorial debut and is considered a masterpiece of Spanish cinema. The film, set in a small town in post-Civil War Spain, focuses on a young girl named Ana. It traces family and school dynamics, her fascination with the 1931 American horror film Frankenstein, her exploration of a haunted home and landscape, making subtle references towards the dark, contentious politics of the time.
Many have noted the symbolism present throughout the film, used both as an artistic device and as a way to avoid censorship under the repressive Franco regime. While censors were alarmed by some of the film's suggestive content about the authoritarian government, they allowed it to be released in Spain based on its success abroad, under the assumption that most of the public would have no real interest in seeing "a slow-paced, thinly-plotted and 'arty' picture."
The film has been called a "bewitching portrait of a child's haunted inner life".