Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy Part 2 - Blood Wedding (1981)

Synopsis: The original play BODAS DE SANGRE (BLOOD WEDDING) by Federico García Lorca was based on a murder that involved adultery and a long-standing family feud. The transition to a ballet by Alfredo Manas, with its use of traditional Andalusian folksingers and musicians, is clear and crisp. The... The original play BODAS DE SANGRE (BLOOD WEDDING) by Federico García Lorca was based on a murder that involved adultery and a long-standing family feud. The transition to a ballet by Alfredo Manas, with its use of traditional Andalusian folksingers and musicians, is clear and crisp. The motives and actions of the characters, danced in the flamenco style to the music of Emilio de Diego and choreographed by Antonio Gades, are easily accessible. They place the action firmly within the traditional Spanish codes of honor and revenge. But Carlos Saura, while seeing them as clearly outdated, tries not to condescend or paint the characters as caricatures in a quaint, picaresque story but instead delivers them with passion. Rather than a full-fledged theatrical production, Saura has chosen to film in a rehearsal space. This adds a sense of intimacy and enhances the audience's feeling of being involved with the characters in this first of three dance films, followed by CARMEN and EL AMOR BRUJO, by Saura and Gades. [More]