♥♥♥♥
 |
| A buxom female figure typewrites against a sea of roses on this kitschy poster for Pedro Almodóvar's The Flower of My Secret |
Leocadia lives in longing for her military husband Paco. Meanwhile she writes a novel, and the editor of newspaper El Pais falls in love with her, while she tries to test boundaries with her romance written using a pseudonym.
The Flower of My Secret is written and directed by Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Folle... Folle... Fólleme Tim! (1978)), whose 12th feature it is. It is an adaptation of the short story The Lovely Leave by Dorothy Parker (Enough Rope (1926)).
Marisa Paredes (Continental (1989)) is wonderful as our tested protagonist, and particularly the scenes of Leocadia with her sister and their vision-impaired, constipated mother are divine. Visually the film is attractive with primary colors galore and strong faces to go with them.
Almodóvar fares well in this comedic melodrama that's less sensationalistic than some of his previous efforts, despite an ending that isn't completely satisfying and the fact that the film might be slightly overlong.
Related posts:
Pedro Almodóvar: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess
Pain and Glory/Dolor y Gloria (2019) - Almodóvar's 8½
The Skin I Live In/La Piel que Habito (2011) or, Almodóvar's Extreme Make-Over
Broken Embraces/Los Abrazos Rotos (2009) or, Mysteries in Love and Life
Talk to Her/Hable con Ella (2002) - Almodóvar's beautiful coma love drama
Live Flesh/Carne Trémula (1997) or, A Spanish Fix
High Heels/Tacones Lejanos (1991) - Superficially worthwhile Almodóvar crime melodrama
Labyrinth of Passion/Laberinto de Pasiones (1982) - Sexual mix-ups in screwball Madrileña style
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 3.8-4.5 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 15.3 mil. $
= Box office success or big hit, depending on the actual cost (returned 3.4-4.02 times its cost)
[The Flower of My Secret was released 22 September (Spain) and runs 102 minutes. Shooting took place in Spain, including in Madrid. The film earned 1 mil. $ (6.5 % of the total gross) in North America, and JPBox-Office reports the total gross listed above, as well as a 3.73 mil. € cost, approximately 3.8 mil. $. Wikipedia lists, instead, 4.5 mil. $. (Also, the € currency was not in existence before 1999.) The film was Spain's entry for the Oscars of the year but wasn't nominated. It was nominated for 7 Goya awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Almodóvar returned with Pastas Ardilla (1996, short) and theatrically with Live Flesh/Carne Trémula (1997). Paredes returned in Three Lives and Only One Dead/Trois Vies et une Seule Mort (1996); Juan Echanove (Arcibel's Game/El Juego de Arcibel (2003)) in Suspiros de España (y Portugal) (1995). The Flower of My Secret is fresh at 85 % with a 7.0/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of The Flower of My Secret?
No comments:
Post a Comment