Bodas de Sangre

Dancers put on their make-up and fine-tune their final steps. We see the preparations for and the supposedly final rehearsal of the flamenco version of the eponymous theatre piece - but at some point the narrative levels shift: The huge wall mirror, the only decoration in the film, illustrates this merging of reality and fiction. A powerful, passionate celebration of art and the body and the prelude to Saura's most famous trilogy, in which he collaborates with the two choreographers and dancers Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos, who are known far beyond Spain's borders. "A ballet film, a dance experience. On the one hand, yes, but also a film experience, because Carlos Saura and his cameraman Teo Escamilla are not only observers of another art form, but also people who are touched by it and who know how to pour their experiences and feelings into a fascinating film form." (Fred Zaugg, Der Bund)