Spanish & Portuguese Cinema
Undoubtedly the backbone of Alice's Spanish collection are the films of Pedro Almodovar. Since the 1980s this unique film maker has been bringing us such gems as 'Laws of Desire', 'Women on the Verge...' and 'Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down' and nurturing the talents of actors such as Antonio Banderas, Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz.
But there is more to Spanish film than the talented Mr Almodovar. Everything from the beautiful and haunting works of Carlos Saura to the off-beat and darkly humourous tales of Alex de Iglesia.
Pictured right: One-of-a-kind helmer, Pedro Almodovar.
Conversations with Mother (2004)
7.4/10
Director: Santiago Carlos Oves
Starring: China Zorilla, Eduardo Blanco, Ulises Dumont, Silvina Bosco
Jamie (Eduardo Blanco) is a middle-aged, middle class man about to have a crisis. Not only has he lost his job, but his dotty old mother (played by Ar... Read more
Cria cuervos (Blu-ray) (1976)
8/10
Director: Carlos Saura
Starring: Geraldine Chaplin
In the twilight of Francisco Franco's dictatorship, an eight-year-old orphan and her two sisters find shelter in the house of their stern aunt, trying... Read more
Dark Habits (1984)
6.6/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Carmen Maura, Christina Pascual, Julieta Serrano
A blackly funny tale of a nightclub singer who flees when her lover dies of a drug overdose and takes refuge in a convent, only to find that the siste... Read more
Death in Leon (Muerte en Leon) (2016)
8/10
The brutal murder of Isabel Carrasco, one of Spain's most controversial politicians, shocked the nation. Three women were quickly arrested in what app... Read more
Death of a Cyclist (1955)
7.7/10
Starring: Lucia Bose
A couple having an affair strike a bicyclist with their car and do not offer aid out of fear of their relationship being exposed. Read more
Dracula (1931)
7.6/10
Director: Tod Browning, George Melford
Starring: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Carlo...
Although there have been numerous screen visions of Bram Stoker's classic tale, none is more enduring than this 1931 original. Towering ominously amon... Read more
Eccentricities of a Blond-Haired Girl (2009)
Director: Manoel De Oliveira
Starring: Cararina Wallenstein, Ricardo Trepa
This lyrical drama delivered by centenarian director Manoel de Oliveira takes its narrative cues from a 19th-century short story from Portuguese write... Read more
Eva (2011)
6.7/10
Director: Kike Maillo
Starring: Daniel Bruhl, Lluis Homar, Anne Canovas, Marta Etura, Alberto Ammann, Claudia Ve...
2041. Alex Garel is a well-known robot programmer who, after 10 years, returns to his home town to work in his old university, when his friend Julia b... Read more
Everybody Knows ( Todos lo saben ) (2018)
7/10
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Ricardo Darin
Laura and her two children travel from Argentina to Spain to attend her sister's wedding. The joyful reunion soon turns tragic when her older daughter... Read more
Evolution (Blu-ray & DVD) (2015)
6.1/10
Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Starring: Roxane Duran
The only residents of young Nicholas' sea-side town are women and boys. When he sees a corpse in the ocean one day, he begins to question his existenc... Read more