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| A sexy leather stiletto blends into a revolver on this tomato-red-and-black poster for Pedro Almodóvar's High Heels |
A young, beautiful news anchor reconnects with her beloved but selfish mother, who had abandoned her in favor of a pop star career for a number of years. Now the daughter murders her husband.
High Heels is written and directed by Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Folle... Folle... Fólleme Tim! (1978)), whose 10th feature it is. The original title translates to 'distant heels'.
It is an unfocused, woman-adoring, stylized, minor Almodóvar picture, complete with drag appearances, drag sex, a women's prison and two well-acting, emotionally gushing women in the leads: Victoria Abril (Libertarias (1996)) and Marisa Paredes (Salvajes (2001)), and a young Javier Bardem (The Counselor (2013)) in a supporting role.
High Heels isn't terribly original nor successful and is rather soap opera-like but still worthwhile due to Almodóvar's flourishes and vivid ideas.
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
Labyrinth of Passion/Laberinto de Pasiones (1982) - Sexual mix-ups in screwball Madrileña style
Watch a 3-minute clip from the film here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: In excess of 7.7 mil. $ (North America and projected Spain gross only)
= Uncertain - but likely a huge hit
[High Heels was released 23 October (Spain) and runs 112 minutes. Shooting took place from April - July 1991 in Spain, including in Madrid. The film opened #13 to a 74k $ first weekend in North America in 13 theaters, where it went on to gross 1.7 mil. $. It was a big hit in Spain, where it reportedly sold 1.5 mil. tickets, coming to 6 mil. $ if projected at a low 4 $ average prize. It was reportedly also popular in Italy, but gross numbers are regrettably kept secret. It was released in many markets, almost all Western. If made on a realistic 1-2 mil. $ budget, the film would likely rank as a huge hit. It won a César award, was nominated for a Golden Globe and 5 Goya awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Almodóvar returned with Kika (1993). Abril returned in Demasiado Corazón (1992); Paredes in Golem, l'Esprit de l'Exil (1992) and Migual Bosé (Oui (1996)) in La Nuit Sacrée (1993). High Heels is rotten at 53 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of High Heels?
