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| Viva la muerte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Fernando Arrabal |
| Written by | Fernando Arrabal |
| Produced by | Hassen Daldoul Jean Velter |
| Starring | Mahdi Chaouch Anouk Ferjac Núria Espert |
| Cinematography | Jean-Marc Ripert |
| Edited by | Laurence Leininger |
| Production companies | Isabelle Films SATPEC |
| Distributed by | Alliance Releasing Corporation |
| Release date |
|
| Countries | France Algeria Morocco Spain Portugal Philippines Brazil Italy |
| Languages | French Italian Spanish Portuguese Arabic Filipino Tagalog Cebuano Berber |
Viva la Muerte (English: Long Live Death) is a 1971 internationally-produced drama film shot in Algeria, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Philippines, Morocco and Tunisia and directed by Fernando Arrabal. The film was released on 12 May 1971 and Arrabal drew on his own childhood for inspiration for the movie. Viva la Muerte takes place at the end of the Spanish Civil War, telling the story of Fando, a young boy whose father was turned in to authorities as a suspected communist by his Falange-sympathizing mother. It has gained cult popularity as a midnight movie. The opening credits sequence features drawings by artist, actor and novelist Roland Topor.
Synopsis
When Fando's fascist-sympathizing mother turns his father in to the authorities as a suspected communist, Fando (Mahdi Chaouch) is told that his father was executed. In truth the father is actually just imprisoned and Fando eventually begins to search for him, constantly imagining what his father might be up to or what might have happened to him.
Cast
- Anouk Ferjac as La Tante
- Núria Espert as La Mère
- Mahdi Chaouch as Fando
- Ivan Henriques as Le Père
- Jazia Klibi as Thérèse
- Suzanne Comte as La Grand-mère
- Jean-Louis Chassigneux as Le Grand-père
- Mohamed Bellasoued as Colonel
- Víctor García as Fando - 20 ans
Reception
Allmovie gave Viva la Muerte four stars, remarking that the film's extreme visuals would make it "not for the faint of heart". The New York Times gave the film a mostly positive review, stating that while it was "no perfect movie, it seems to me inescapably a major work."
References
- Brown, Edward G (June 1984). "Arrabal's VIVA LA MUERTE! From Novel to Filmscript". Literature Film Quarterly. 12 (2): 136. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- Crouse, Richard (2008). Son of the 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen. ECW Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-1550228403.
- "Viva la Muerte". Allmovie. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- Greenspun, Robert (October 26, 1971). "Viva La Muerte (1971) Screen: Arrabal's 'Viva la Muerte'". NYT. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
External links
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- 1971 films
- 1971 drama films
- Films directed by Fernando Arrabal
- Films set in Spain
- Films shot in Tunisia
- French avant-garde and experimental films
- French drama films
- 1970s French-language films
- French independent films
- Spanish Civil War films
- Roland Topor
- 1970s avant-garde and experimental films
- Tunisian drama films
- 1971 independent films
- 1970s French films
- 1970s French film stubs
- African film stubs
- Mass media in Tunisia stubs