La Spagnola
"La Spagnola" is one of the first films to emerge from the Australian Film Commission and public broadcaster SBS Independent's Million Dollar Movies initiative, which plans to release a number of quality film projects at a cut-rate price. With its richly textured imagery and vibrant, colorful cinematography, "Spagnola" is the perfect film to lead the charge. It has the tone and feel of a film made on a much higher budget than the small outlay of a million Australian dollars.
A boxoffice success in Australia, "Spagnola" also is a true rarity in terms of the local industry: Set within the Spanish and Italian communities, it's one of the few Australian films (along with Clara Law's "Floating Life") whose principal language is not English. In fact, the film has been entered for consideration in the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards.
These aren't the only things, however, that make "Spagnola" such a rare beast. Despite a highly visual palette, this is a film with a scathing, almost misanthropic worldview that seems to hold a feverish hatred for all of its characters. A film doesn't necessarily have to be upbeat to be successful (particularly in art house territory), but "La Spagnola" steams and froths with the kind of negativity that could prove a major turnoff.
Giving no quarter to filmgoers, writer Anna Maria Monticelli and director Steve Jacobs uncover the miserable qualities in all of their characters and provide no point of empathy or anything to hang on to.
Lola (a sexy, fiery turn from Lola Marceli), a Spanish woman living in Australia, hits a downward spiral when her husband (Simon Palomares) dumps her for a local girl and leaves her saddled with their teenage daughter (a headstrong performance from Alice Ansara).
Lola has to struggle to make ends meet, and ends up feuding with her daughter and getting into bed with the aggressive, sexually predatory Stefano (firebrand Alex Dimitriades, doing his best with an awkward and underwritten role), who doesn't just have eyes for her.
Though shot with a hot, sexy swagger and filled with ribald humor, "Spagnola" ultimately becomes a prisoner of its own unpleasantness. Though films that represent real life are to be celebrated and admired, the kind of real life represented in this film is one that's just too ugly and off-putting to be involving.
LA SPAGNOLA
New Vision Films presents
a Wild Strawberries production in association with the Australian Film Commission
and SBS Independent
Credits:
Producer: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director: Steve Jacobs
Screenwriter: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director of photography: Steve Arnold
Production designer: Dee Molineaux
Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Co-producer: Philip Hearnshaw
Costume designer: Margot Wilson
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Cast:
Lola: Lola Marceli
Stefano: Alex Dimitriades
Lucia: Alice Ansara
Ricardo: Simon Palomares
Doctor: Tony Barry
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 87 minutes...
A boxoffice success in Australia, "Spagnola" also is a true rarity in terms of the local industry: Set within the Spanish and Italian communities, it's one of the few Australian films (along with Clara Law's "Floating Life") whose principal language is not English. In fact, the film has been entered for consideration in the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards.
These aren't the only things, however, that make "Spagnola" such a rare beast. Despite a highly visual palette, this is a film with a scathing, almost misanthropic worldview that seems to hold a feverish hatred for all of its characters. A film doesn't necessarily have to be upbeat to be successful (particularly in art house territory), but "La Spagnola" steams and froths with the kind of negativity that could prove a major turnoff.
Giving no quarter to filmgoers, writer Anna Maria Monticelli and director Steve Jacobs uncover the miserable qualities in all of their characters and provide no point of empathy or anything to hang on to.
Lola (a sexy, fiery turn from Lola Marceli), a Spanish woman living in Australia, hits a downward spiral when her husband (Simon Palomares) dumps her for a local girl and leaves her saddled with their teenage daughter (a headstrong performance from Alice Ansara).
Lola has to struggle to make ends meet, and ends up feuding with her daughter and getting into bed with the aggressive, sexually predatory Stefano (firebrand Alex Dimitriades, doing his best with an awkward and underwritten role), who doesn't just have eyes for her.
Though shot with a hot, sexy swagger and filled with ribald humor, "Spagnola" ultimately becomes a prisoner of its own unpleasantness. Though films that represent real life are to be celebrated and admired, the kind of real life represented in this film is one that's just too ugly and off-putting to be involving.
LA SPAGNOLA
New Vision Films presents
a Wild Strawberries production in association with the Australian Film Commission
and SBS Independent
Credits:
Producer: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director: Steve Jacobs
Screenwriter: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director of photography: Steve Arnold
Production designer: Dee Molineaux
Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Co-producer: Philip Hearnshaw
Costume designer: Margot Wilson
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Cast:
Lola: Lola Marceli
Stefano: Alex Dimitriades
Lucia: Alice Ansara
Ricardo: Simon Palomares
Doctor: Tony Barry
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 87 minutes...
- 7/8/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
La Spagnola
"La Spagnola" is one of the first films to emerge from the Australian Film Commission and public broadcaster SBS Independent's Million Dollar Movies initiative, which plans to release a number of quality film projects at a cut-rate price. With its richly textured imagery and vibrant, colorful cinematography, "Spagnola" is the perfect film to lead the charge. It has the tone and feel of a film made on a much higher budget than the small outlay of a million Australian dollars.
A boxoffice success in Australia, "Spagnola" also is a true rarity in terms of the local industry: Set within the Spanish and Italian communities, it's one of the few Australian films (along with Clara Law's "Floating Life") whose principal language is not English. In fact, the film has been entered for consideration in the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards.
These aren't the only things, however, that make "Spagnola" such a rare beast. Despite a highly visual palette, this is a film with a scathing, almost misanthropic worldview that seems to hold a feverish hatred for all of its characters. A film doesn't necessarily have to be upbeat to be successful (particularly in art house territory), but "La Spagnola" steams and froths with the kind of negativity that could prove a major turnoff.
Giving no quarter to filmgoers, writer Anna Maria Monticelli and director Steve Jacobs uncover the miserable qualities in all of their characters and provide no point of empathy or anything to hang on to.
Lola (a sexy, fiery turn from Lola Marceli), a Spanish woman living in Australia, hits a downward spiral when her husband (Simon Palomares) dumps her for a local girl and leaves her saddled with their teenage daughter (a headstrong performance from Alice Ansara).
Lola has to struggle to make ends meet, and ends up feuding with her daughter and getting into bed with the aggressive, sexually predatory Stefano (firebrand Alex Dimitriades, doing his best with an awkward and underwritten role), who doesn't just have eyes for her.
Though shot with a hot, sexy swagger and filled with ribald humor, "Spagnola" ultimately becomes a prisoner of its own unpleasantness. Though films that represent real life are to be celebrated and admired, the kind of real life represented in this film is one that's just too ugly and off-putting to be involving.
LA SPAGNOLA
New Vision Films presents
a Wild Strawberries production in association with the Australian Film Commission
and SBS Independent
Credits:
Producer: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director: Steve Jacobs
Screenwriter: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director of photography: Steve Arnold
Production designer: Dee Molineaux
Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Co-producer: Philip Hearnshaw
Costume designer: Margot Wilson
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Cast:
Lola: Lola Marceli
Stefano: Alex Dimitriades
Lucia: Alice Ansara
Ricardo: Simon Palomares
Doctor: Tony Barry
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 87 minutes...
A boxoffice success in Australia, "Spagnola" also is a true rarity in terms of the local industry: Set within the Spanish and Italian communities, it's one of the few Australian films (along with Clara Law's "Floating Life") whose principal language is not English. In fact, the film has been entered for consideration in the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards.
These aren't the only things, however, that make "Spagnola" such a rare beast. Despite a highly visual palette, this is a film with a scathing, almost misanthropic worldview that seems to hold a feverish hatred for all of its characters. A film doesn't necessarily have to be upbeat to be successful (particularly in art house territory), but "La Spagnola" steams and froths with the kind of negativity that could prove a major turnoff.
Giving no quarter to filmgoers, writer Anna Maria Monticelli and director Steve Jacobs uncover the miserable qualities in all of their characters and provide no point of empathy or anything to hang on to.
Lola (a sexy, fiery turn from Lola Marceli), a Spanish woman living in Australia, hits a downward spiral when her husband (Simon Palomares) dumps her for a local girl and leaves her saddled with their teenage daughter (a headstrong performance from Alice Ansara).
Lola has to struggle to make ends meet, and ends up feuding with her daughter and getting into bed with the aggressive, sexually predatory Stefano (firebrand Alex Dimitriades, doing his best with an awkward and underwritten role), who doesn't just have eyes for her.
Though shot with a hot, sexy swagger and filled with ribald humor, "Spagnola" ultimately becomes a prisoner of its own unpleasantness. Though films that represent real life are to be celebrated and admired, the kind of real life represented in this film is one that's just too ugly and off-putting to be involving.
LA SPAGNOLA
New Vision Films presents
a Wild Strawberries production in association with the Australian Film Commission
and SBS Independent
Credits:
Producer: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director: Steve Jacobs
Screenwriter: Anna Maria Monticelli
Director of photography: Steve Arnold
Production designer: Dee Molineaux
Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Co-producer: Philip Hearnshaw
Costume designer: Margot Wilson
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Cast:
Lola: Lola Marceli
Stefano: Alex Dimitriades
Lucia: Alice Ansara
Ricardo: Simon Palomares
Doctor: Tony Barry
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 87 minutes...
- 11/27/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.