Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
by Pedro Almodovar
Our Price: $76.40
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $18.00 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Director: Pedro AlmodovarPrimary Contributor: Victoria Abril
Primary Contributor: Antonio Banderas
Primary Contributor: Loles Leon
Primary Contributor: Julieta Serrano
Primary Contributor: Maria Barranco
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Movie Reviews of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Movie Review: The Wild & Erotic World of Almodovar
Summary: 5 Stars
Pedro Almodovar followed up the success of his international hit, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," with this wild, erotic comic fantasy starring his long-time leading man and soon-to-be Hollywood star, Antonio Banderas. Fresh from his incarceration from an asylum in Madrid, Banderas plays a ex-lunatic who leaves in search of the object of his affection, a popular Spanish porn star (played by Victoria Abril).
After meeting, then kidnapping her, Banderas' character is more determined to make her fall in love with him, and does whatever he needs to do in order to win her love. However, Abril, refuses to love a man who has made her a prisoner of her own home. The title, which is a translation of its' original Spanish title, "Atame!," reflects the method Banderas uses to coax and subdue Abril's character in falling in love with him (he ties her up in her bedroom).
While the story seems far-fetched at times, the chemistry that Banderas and Abril emit makes the film work. Supporting actresses Maria Barranco and Rosie de Palma lend their unique comic talents in helping the director weave a tale of love and desire that only Almodovar can tell.
Upon release in the United States, this film was slapped with the newly created and feared NC-17 rating due to his sexual themes and minor violence. Compared to R rated films of the present such as "Basic Instinct" and "The Matrix," this film is tame. Refusing to edit his work, Almodovar criticized the MPAA for its' decision to market the film with an NC-17 rating. Due to this rating, the film did not do too well at the box office as expected.
This film marks Banderas' final film in Spain, before departing to the United States to start his successful career in Hollywood. The film contains glimpses of Banderas' backside, as well as a whole lot of Abril's figure, and the sexual scenes are soft-core porn quality. If you are offended by glimpses of the naked body or sexual themes, then skip this film.
"Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" is one of Almodovar's rare gems. As a true master of the Spanish cinema, his work truly reflects his gifted talent. A great film with a comic ending!
Summary of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Perhaps only Pedro Almodóvar could come up with a story about a mental patient who stalks and kidnaps an ex-porn star--and turn it into a tender love story. But that's exactly what happens in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, a lively installment from the Spanish director's wacky middle period (after the scruffy early films, and before his mature melodramas). Two of Almodóvar's sexiest stars, Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril, play the leads: a cracked young man with dreams of bourgeois domesticity, and an actress who used to specialize in porno and heroin. Despite that fact that he binds her limbs with cord when he leaves the house, he always returns with a cheerful "I'm home!" For all Almodóvar's outrageousness, there's a touch of classical Hollywood in his construction. And while this movie is not for the politically correct, it does play by its own warped rules. --Robert Horton
What Have I Done to Deserve This?Genius; Release date: 2003-09-09; DVD
Best price: $21.99
Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)DVD; Release date: 2005-04-12; Published: 2005-04-01; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Talk to Her (Hable con Ella)Sony; Release date: 2003-05-27; DVD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
All About My MotherSony; Release date: 2009-11-03; DVD
Best price: $13.76
Price in other shops:
High HeelsDVD
Best price: $19.98
![Kika [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4. Import-Latin America] Image](/images/Kika-NTSC-REGION-1-4-Import-Latin-America-B000LZKV6W-X.jpg)
Kika [NTSC/ REGION 1 & 4. Import-Latin America]DVD
Best price: $11.94
Matador (1986)Sony; Release date: 2009-11-03; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
Broken EmbracesSony; Release date: 2010-03-16; DVD
Best price: $5.59
Price in other shops:
VolverSony; Release date: 2007-04-03; Published: 2007-04-01; DVD
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Women on the Verge of a Nervous BreakdownSony; Release date: 2009-11-03; DVD
Best price: $8.03
Price in other shops: