Cria Cuervos (1975)

Carlos Saura’s exquisite Cría cuervos… heralded a turning point in Spain: Shot while General Franco was on his deathbed, the film melds the personal and the political in a portrait of the legacy of fascism and its effects on a middle-class family (the title derives from the Spanish proverb: "Raise ravens and they’ll peck out your eyes"). Ana Torrent (the dark-eyed beauty from The Spirit of the Beehive) portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (played by an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.

Very intense

Very intense and well made film set in 1970s Spain under the Franco regime. I haven't watched the extras yet, but the transfer is excellent, and the actors are fantastic, especially the children. After seeing it I found myself thinking about it for days after, I will definitely watch it again. Highly recommended. June 21, 2008

deeply moving film

I watched this movie a couple of times, for the first time back in mid 1970s while in high school. I was moved already then but probably did not understood everything "properly". Recently my wife and I watched the movie in its DVD format and I still recommend it very much - it combines social and psychological analysis of Spain during Franco dictatorship. December 25, 2007

'If you raise crows, they will peck out your eyes.'

Carlos Saura's excellent Spanish film, Cría cuervos (1976), derives its title from the spanish proverb, "Cría cuervos y te arrancarán los ojos" ("If you raise crows, they will peck out your eyes"). Set in Madrid, it tells the poignant story of 8-year-old Ana (Ana Torrent from Spirit of the Beehive), a wide-eyed girl growing up under the Franco regime, who experiences many horrible things during her childhood. Much of the film occurs through a series of flashbacks and in her imagination when Ana is 29. She associates her childhood with sadness, fear, and loss, and is only able to navigate her adult life through her childhood experiences. Ana's favorite song ("Porque te vas") is a song about sadness and loss. Her mother (Geraldine Chaplin) was married to an unfaithful husband (Hector Alterio) and died of a painful illness before the film begins. Her father was a cruel and philandering Franco officer, who died one night while sleeping with his mistress. The film begins with his death, as Ana observes the half-dressed woman fleeing from her father's room, and she then sees her dead father on the bed as her dead mother scolds her for being up so late. This incident not only haunts Ana into her adult life, but permeates the rest of the film as Cría cuervos continues to shift between past, present and future, and between reality and Ana's imagination, drawing its strengths from its female characters and their relationships.

The Criterion two-disc edition of this film features a restored high-definition digital transfer, a documentary on the life and career of the Spanish auteur, recent interviews with actresses Geraldine Chaplin and Ana Torrent, the original theatrical trailer, new subtitles, and a booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Paul Julian Smith. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt October 17, 2007

A STORY OF REPRESSION

You can't go wrong with this Criterion edition of Carlos Saura's masterpiece. Bonus features include a great documentary about the director and recent interviews of Geraldine Chaplin and Ana Torrent. CRIA CUERVOS is about memories, imagination and family. October 6, 2007

Excellent film

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Cría cuervos known in Ebglish as "Raise Crows" is about three sisters focusing on the middle one (Ana Torrent) and her childhood after the death of her parents. The film drifts through time and reality as she has visions of her dead mother (Geraldine Chaplin).

I found the film to be very well made and an excellent inclusion of the Spanish pop song "Porque te vas" by Jeanette. I had never heard of the song before watching this and really like the style of the song.

The film is said to be based on the end of an era in Spain. The film was made while Franco was dying and is based on what was to come afer he died.


The special features are as follows. Disc one contains the film with the theatrical trailer. Disc two contains "Portrait of Carlos Saura" a documentary on Saura's films. There are also interviews with Ana Torrent and Geraldine Chaplin. September 19, 2007

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