siegfried

I've had "La Promesa" on my Deep Discount wish list for a while, and I notice now that it is half off, only $9 and being a huge Maura fan, I am excited to see this, but after reading Joshua Zyber well writen review of the film,
www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=18212, I'm not so excited anymore; so....I'm on the fence on this one.

Has anyone else seen this film, or own the DVD?

pro-bassoonist

A few comments: the film is a true old fashioned thriller and the lead is indeed impressive. The decors are also excellent. This being I said would compare La Promesa to something Robert Altman would produce (Gosford Park comes to mind) with a Gothic twist. This I am sure creates problems as many did not enjoy the slow pacing of Gosfrod Park, etc. I did. Unfortunately the DVD is also a typical TLA Releasing PAL port. The Spanish disc is English friendly.
As far as I am concerned this is an exceptional Spanish film well worth owning. The DVD is not.

Ciao,
Pro-B

siegfried

Thank You Pro B.

It sounds like something I would like, maybe I'll spring for the Spanish release.
One of my favorite actresses in one of the most beautiful regions in Spain; I love Galicia it's so mysterious and always shrouded in mist, perfect atmosphere for a Gothic film.

Sigfried

Josh Z

Wow, I don't see that comparison. At all. To each their own.

Siegfried, if I still have the disc you're welcome to have it for the cost of shipping. I'll have to check, though. This disc may have been in a batch that I already gave away.

siegfried

Joshua,

That would be fantastic if you still have it, Thank You!
Again, I did appreciate your review, but I think I might really like this film mainly because of the actress and the setting.

It is interesting to compare different reviews of the same film. I was looking at Pro B's review of No Shame's DVD of "Partner" which he gave a recommendation of "DVD Talk Collector Series" while DVD Savant gave it a "Rent It". Same film different perspectives.

Thanks Again,
Siegfried

meritocracy

I'm not sure I'd fully agree with the comparison either, however, as both a Carmen Maura and Altman fan, my impression was roughly in line with Joshua's. Granted, there's some atmosphere and the shots of Galicia are indeed quite lovely. That aside, this line in particular from said review summed up my feelings pretty accurately, ..."for long stretches there isn't anything particularly wrong with the movie but certainly nothing particularly great about it either."

Josh Z

Unfortunately, it looks like it's gone. I shipped a stack of unwanted discs to a friend a few months ago and it looks like this one was in there. Sorry.

pro-bassoonist

It has been awhile since I saw La Promesa and for me to write a full-blown article highlighting precisely why I think the film carries elements that could be found in an Altman directed film I need to watch my disc again. There are a few aspects from La Promesa however that I remember quite well that certainly remind me of Altman’s style hence my quick post this morning before I left:

1. Heavy symbolism: religion and identity appear as key themes here. Reality/illusion, action/reaction…it is all intertwined in a web of images which the Spanish director never quite resolves. The story is fractured and often misleading something that Altman did quite well in Gosford Park where bits of “evidence” scattered throughout the film suggested different resolution(s). There are numerous clues in the beginning as to why Celia is suffering, why she is deeply religious, yet very few of them fully explain her attitude. I find this to be an element that appears in both films.

2. Decors- as mentioned before there is much emphasis here on detail (the old church) which is precisely the case with Gosford Park (Altman’s film being much more elaborate especially in terms of clothing).

3. Pacing- slow; intentionally prolonged scenes. Once again I see a similarity between Gosford Park and La Promesa.

4. The reversed Oedipus complex- I have seen a few comments that I thought nailed this film perfectly-one of them by a fan that could be read at IMDB which completely mirrors my take on the film. A story with heavy symbolism that takes on two major traditional Spanish themes: Catholicism and identity (in this film identity carefully attached to a plot that deals partially with psychoanalysis). To sum it all up I thought that the whole idea of mixing Catholicism with psychoanalysis, while questioning some widely filmed as of late Spanish themes (maternal responsibility; spiritual liberation, etc) was great. Truly under the surface of La Promesa there is so much more…as witnessed in many of Altman’s works.


Ciao,
Pro-B

siegfried

Joshua,
Thanks for looking. I'll pick up a copy and let you guy's know what I think.

Pro-B; Thank you for your thoughts.

Siegfried