Beatriz Rico in Lázaro de Tormes (2000)

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Review

Lázaro de Tormes (2000) is a tale set in the XVI century, and tells the story of a Spanish peasant, who has been accused of something, and, as a defense, tells his life story. His claim is that circumstances forced him to do whatever he did, and he is thus not guilty of a crime. He is called Lázaro from Tormes (Tormes is a river) because his mother was working at his fathers mill when he was born, literally in the river. His father was arrested for stealing flower from the customers, and exiled as a soldier's aide, where he dutifully died along with the soldier. Lázaro was then indentured to a blind man, who treated him very badly, but in turn, was constantly tricked by Lázaro in some very amusing ways. Among his tribulations were other harsh masters, a cleric who tried to bugger him, and another cleric who was so stingy that he locked up his left over food. Eventually, he hit a streak of luck. He was made town crier (a civil service job), and then encouraged to marry the maid of his benefactor, Beatriz Rico, who shows her breasts in at least three scenes. Seems his benefactor, who is a cleric, is not above using Rico for a little pleasure, but he and Lázaro agree that it doesn't really happen among them, and defend her good name to the rest of the world.

The film looked fantastic, with amazing costumes, great atmosphere, and great scenery. The performances were excellent. But there is far more to this work than just the film. The film was adapted by Fernando Fernán Gómez from his long running play. Unfortunately, he became ill, and José Luis García Sánchez took over the direction. I couldn't notice a difference in their work. The play is based on the book The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes which is the second most important work of Spanish literature, coming several years before Don Quixote. It is credited as being the first novel ever, and the form, known as a picaresque novel became the rage in England a couple of centuries later, with such books as Tom Jones, Moll Flanders, and Fanny Hill. The term means episodic stories all featuring the same rogue, and comes from a Spanish word meaning rogue. For those interested in the original novel, it is available in both English and Spanish. I read through the English version, which was a huge help as there were no subtitles in this film. It really merits a US release with subtitles. The film was faithful to the spirit of the book, although it chose to jump around from present to past to future, rather than following the chronological narrative of the book. If you speak Spanish, see this. IF not, watch for a dubbed or sub-titled release. B-.

Nudity Report: Rico shows her breasts in at least three scenes.


Written by: Tuna …courtesy of Scoopy.net