Sarah

I'm planning a trip to Spain for later this summer and am looking for some good fiction and films to watch in preparation, preferable those NOT featuring bullfights.<BR><BR>Thanks!

kris

Hemingway's "The Sun also Rises" set partially in Pamplona during the running of the bulls and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" set during the Spanish Civil War.

mimi taylor

I know I am not going to spell his name correctly, but Almador, somthing like that, he does great films almost alittle kinky at times and thaT IS WHERE bANDERAS GOT HIS START, NOW MARRIED TO mELONIE gRIFFIN. aLSO EVEN BETTER,IS THE SPANISH DIRECTOR, i THINK HIS NAME IS mAURA, BUT THE FILM IS tHE SPIRIT OF THE BEE HIVE. YOU WON'T REGRET RENTING THAT VIDIO, AND YOU WILL SEEK OUT HIS OTHER GREAT FILMS

Capo

Picking up on what Mimi said, Pedro Almodovar has some interesting movies. <BR><BR>"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" -- set in Madrid and featuring Almodovar favorite Carmen Maura, as well as a young Antonio Banderas -- is pretty hilarious. <BR><BR>I also really enjoyed his most recent film, his homage to women, called "All About My Mother", the story of a woman who moves from Madrid to Barcelona in search of her ex-husband, the father of her son who was just killed in a tragic accident. This movie won Best Foreign Language Film at both the 2000 Academy Awards and the 2000 Golden Globes. <BR><BR>There's also a drama/thriller that recently played at the Seattle International Film Festival called "Gaudi Afternoon", which sounded very interesting, but I don't know if it's gone into regular release yet.

Sheila

It's not fiction but if you don't like "Driving over Lemons" I'll eat my hat

gail

Agree about Driving Over Lemons. Another non-fiction, very enjoyable book about a Brit moving to Spain is Spanish Lessons by Derek Lambert. Just re-read it and liked it as well the 2nd time.

Ursula

Most films of Pedro Almodovar and Carlos Saura.

Claudia

I've been meaning to rent "Barcelona" for ages; it's by the same man who brought us "Metropolitan," which I really liked. <BR><BR>I've also read that the "Three Musketeers" from the 70s (with Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Michael York) was filmed in Seville, not France, so I aim to check that one out of the library.<BR><BR>And there was a version of Don Quixote on A&amp;E not long ago, starring John Lithgow (if you can imagine it) which someone taped for me, but I have yet to watch.<BR><BR>Hmmm, maybe I should screen these myself sometime soon....

Christina

My two favorites are Barcelona (I taped this off TV, it's shown occasionally, but I saw it in the theatre originally, terrif) and Carmen by Carlos Saura (not a taping of the opera). Also, I do like Victoria Abril in almost anything (I think she's in some Aldomar) but even she has done some wretched clunkers of comedies.

Capo

Christina &amp; Claudia, thanks for mentioning Whit Stillman's "Barcelona". Don't know how I forgot that one as it's one of my favorite movies. Chris Eigeman plays such a wonderfully snarky character, and I thought Mira Sorvino does a great job playing a Spaniard (or Catalonian.) <BR><BR>By the way, "Barcelona" was the second movie in Stillman's trilogy, with "Metropolitan" being the first, and "The Last Days of Disco" (which Eigeman is also in, along with Kate Beckinsale) being the third.

cc

Another Spanish film that is quite good (if you enjoy black comedies) is Day Of The Beast (El Dia de la Bestia). It was mostly filmed in Madrid. IMDB describes it best:<BR><BR>"A basque priest finds by means of a cabalistic study of the bible that the anti-christ is going to be born on Christmas day in Madrid. Helped by a heavy-metal fan and by the showman of a TV esoteric program, he will try to invoke the devil to find out the place of birth and kill the baby." <BR><BR>It should be available at any decent video store (not Blockbuster).

mark

Solas - nominated for best foriegn film - beautifuly shot and if the ending doesn't bring a few tears to your eyes, then nothing will

Christina

Capo (are you a musician? wondered by that handle-I was just looking at mandolin capos), thank's for the info on the other movies of Stillman, I'll have to look them up. I have not seen them and am not sure what Metropolitan is about, and the other got mediocre reviews, I know, but might be fun on video. I was surprised the last time I viewed Barcelona to recognize Mira Sorvino in it, she did do a good job.

Capo

Christina, Oui, je suis un musicien (casual, not professional.) Interestingly, after adopting that nickname, I found out that "capo" is actually short for "capotasto", which means "head of the fingerboard." If you look at a map of Italy, you'll also see lots of "capos" on the coastline, as it's Italian for "cape" (my favorite is Capo Rizzuto...it sounds like a character on The Sopranos. :~) <BR><BR>"Last Days of Disco" got mediocre reviews? Hmmmm, interesting...not the ones I read. I didn't like the title, but I loved the movie. The thing I like most about Stillman's movies is the wonderful dialogue. Yeah, first time I saw "Barcelona" I didn't recognize Mira Sorvino either.

Pedro

I would like to add some I liked lately. "Solas" directed by a young Sevillian and filmed in Sevilla. Simple, but absolutely reccommendable. It was a hit here in Spain two years ago and has been given some international awards. "El Abuelo" (the grandfather) by J.L.Garci is another good film whose action is situated in Northern Spain around Asturias/Cantabria and features an interesting story, having some of Spanish best actors. I think some of Arturo Perez Reverte´s books describe some aspects of Sevilla as well. To finish, "Flamenco" by Carlos Saura show some of the most beautiful aspects of this art. <BR>

Maira

Well, 1961's "El Cid" may not be quite historically accurate, but it was filmed in Spain, and that should count for something. Also "Belle Epoque" with a younger Penelope Cruz (who also appears in Almodovar's "All About my Mother"). Also, Almodovar's "Tie me up, Tie me down" features Victoria Abril and, then unknown in the US, Antonio Banderas. Be forewarned about Almodovar's films, they are definitely not suitable for young children, but they are hilarious.

Lesley

Arturo Perez Reverte is a modern spanish writer. His book "The Seville Connection" in translation is set in Seville. <BR><BR>Most of the "spaghetti westerns" (eg A Fist full of Dollars) were filmed in Almeria.<BR><BR>El Cid was filmed in Spain. The Beach scene at the end was filmed in Peniscola (Valencia).<BR><BR>Laurie Lee's "As I walked out one Summer Morning" is the story of his walk through Spain during the civil war.

Claudia

Sarah,<BR><BR>Having just bought my first dvd player, I am totally preoccupied with films, and didn't notice that you also requested suggestions for fiction set in Spain. There is a novel I enjoyed for the British/Spanish atmosphere called "A Spanish Lover," by Joanna Trollope. It's very light fiction, a good airport/airplane type of thing. <BR><BR>I hope no one thinks any less of me for reading "Aga Sagas"....

maria

Sarah, <BR> <BR>Ditto on all the films of Carlos Saura, espec. Carmen and Blood Wedding. The novelist Arturo Perez Reverte is good, his best book in my opinion is the Seville Communion, (not Connection). I am a fan of Almodovar's films but others find them pretty frantic, especially his first films. For nonfiction I highly recommend Camilo Jose Cela's Journey to the Alcarria and and another of his about travelling with his donkey (I am blanking on the name) which is absolutely charming in spite of sounding kind of stupid to adults. Non fiction Driving over Lemons and Spanish Lessons by Derek Lambert are very enjoyable... <BR>Enjoy your trip! <BR> <BR>Maria

YS

Don Quixote?