Butterfly
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Movie Reviews of Butterfly
Movie Review: Politcal Metamorphosis
Summary: 4 Stars
A sugar-coated political story. Spain was in the twilight of political tyranny. The science teacher, however well-educated and well-meaning he was, his torch of enlightenment was just too small. Oppressions and persecutions were still prevalent, life and human relationship even of the most intimate and innocent kind suffered... Fortunately, Spain soon turned herself into a butterfly as beautiful and as meaningful as the one the teacher showed his pupil who took part in his persecution by throwing stone at him...A heart-warming but also politically hair-raising story. Recommended.
Movie Review: A little derivative, but well put-together
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bottom Line:
The Tongue of the Butterfly occasionally feels like it's cribbed together from other films about children in wartime (Hope and Glory, Au Revoir Les Enfants, etc.) but it's well-acted and in its own way emerges as a complement to those better films; if you're interested in the Spanish Civil War or have seen those other films give it a look, but otherwise check out those two first.
3/4
Movie Review: Good but not Great
Summary: 4 Stars
A very sensitive and touching movie about a boy and his teacher. It has some gratutious scenes and the story does not flow very smoothly, but none the less worth watching and the ending reveals alot about humanity throughout the ages.Movie Review: The tongue of butterflies is called Proboscis
Summary: 3 Stars
Shortly after Franco died (1975), Spain saw a flurry of movies, TV series and books about the Civil War. Almost without exception, the story was told from the "other" side, the side of the losers. That is quite understandable, as for 40 years they had never had the opportunity to explain in their own words how things had happened. I thought that after 25 years of democracy, maybe the subject of the Civil War had already been examined backwards and forwards. Therefore, I was quite surprised to encounter this very recent movie on the subject. My take on it is that something as painful as a war between brothers must take many years to digest.This movie tells the story of a young boy, Moncho, going to school in a small town in northwestern Spain soon before the start of the Civil War (1936). Moncho is a very sensitive kid, and the teacher, Don Gregorio, takes him under his wing immediately. Don Gregorio's role is played by famous actor Fernando Fernán-Gómez, who by the way is also a very talented writer. Both he and Moncho do a superb acting job. The story is sweet and the characters well portrayed, but the movie has some very flawed spots. There are some gratuitous scenes that don't go anywhere. For example, Don Gregorio throwing up outside the bar. I immediately imagined that he was probably very sick, and maybe would die soon. None of that happened. I had to wonder what was then the point of showing him indisposed. Would it be that Moncho, upon seeing his teacher like that, think that he was a drunk and lose respect? There was no resolution, and the incident became inconsequential and stayed there.
Carmiña's bizarre love triangle was rather gratuitous as well, and did not provide any insights into the main story at all, other than to show how brutal some people can be, or the dangers of alcohol.
Another very annoying scene is when Moncho and Andrés leave the village where they performed a gig and the wife of the major runs to see their cart go by. Andrés had obviously developed a crush on her, and he played (amazingly well, after being such a sucky sax player) a solo during the concert and gave her some languid looks. But there was never evidence that she reciprocated those feelings. Why then does she run through the mountains to catch a last glimpse at their cart? This scene seems to come out of nowhere.
The final scene, when the mob gathers to see who has been arrested because of their political sympathies, is great. However, it is poorly explored. Moncho's dad, who supported the Republic, cries when he starts to insult those that he himself used to call `friends'. It is easy to see what hypocrisy has done to him. But what about the boys? Andrés is in shock when he sees one of his band mates in handcuffs. Moncho is surprised to see his best friend's dad arrested. The whole family gasps when they see Don Gregorio. Yet without exception they will insult those people that were so close to them before. What next? It would have been excellent to explore the repercussions of those actions. How would Moncho and Andrés feel after this episode? That was a missed opportunity.
Movie Review: Butterfly kiss fails to infect
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a well made film, it was released in 1999, the DVD in 2001, with English subtitles and some attempt at special features - director's notes, writer's notes and full credits and filmographies. The film is set in
1935 - 36 and is charming enough and the actors more than competent, particularly Fernando Fernan-Gomez (born 1921 in Argentina and died in Madrid November 2007) who must be the grand old man of Spanish cinema. Moncho, the 7 year old star of the film is quite endearing, and for its first 80 minutes the film could almost be a Marcel Pagnol family adventure. But there are rumblings of unease of course - some real and some allegorical. Even Moncho is tainted by the eruption of civil unrest.
The introduction to the film, which features black and white photos from the period, is very interesting,and the film itself quite charming, but to me it lacked impact. As I say, the idyllic opening 80 minutes tended to undermine the forcefulness of the final 10 minutes - and the transformation of Moncho and his family in this interval was somewhat shocking but easily anticipated.
A trivial aside - why is (The) Butterfly's Tongue being marketed as 'Butterfly?' Or is this an Amazon initiative?