The Spirit of the Beehive in 35mm

The Spirit of the Beehive in 35mm

In the half century since the film’s release, The Spirit of the Beehive has been regarded as one of cinema’s most hauntingly evocative portrayals of a child’s imagination. A 6-year-old girl living in a remote village at the end of the Spanish Civil War becomes obsessed with the film Frankenstein, which inspires her to help a wounded soldier she identifies with the monster. Erice’s camera captures the lonely beauty of the remote Spanish locations, and debuting child actor Ana Torrent went on to cultivate an impressive career that continues to this day.

DIRECTED BY: Víctor Erice. WRITTEN BY: Ángel Fernández-Santos, Víctor Erice. WITH: Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent, Isabel Tellería. 1973. 98 min. Spain. Color. Spanish. 35mm.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 


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