FLAMENCO, FLAMENCO
April 11, 2011 by Ken McNaughton
The new film by Carlos Saura, Flamenco Flamenco, was shown at the DC Film Fest on Sunday 11 April 2011. It is a rich and colorful concert of modern flamenco artists, 101 minutes long. Filmed over seven weeks inside a former Seville Expo ’92 pavilion, it features 21 singers, dancers and instrumentalists, many of whom have visited Washington. We are fortunate that the trailer is exceptional, so you can see a flash of many of these artists in the 1-minute-28-second video ((https://www.imdb.com/video/vi355909401?playlistId=tt1550481&ref_=vp_rv_ap_0)
Saura has made ten flamenco movies in forty years and some of them have been rather stark. This one by contrast is a chocolate box of color. Every set is different, with backgrounds of European paintings and vivid Spanish landscapes. There are lots of close-ups of faces, instruments, palmas and footwork. In the cinema audience we were moved to applause first by Sara Baras, who danced in a red dress tucked up behind in a bustle. She danced beautifully, but when she unwrapped the dress and held out the full size, it was magnificent. The youngest dancer, with a blond ponytail, was spectacular, credited as El Carpeta. Some sets were unforgettable, such as the man and woman who sang and danced in pouring rain throughout. Three men sat around a wooden table, the one in the middle singing and those on either side tapping out the rhythm with their fingers and knuckles. Farruquito came on, all smiles and magic flashing feet, followed by Paco de Lucía, with a full complement of support artists, including a couple of pretty girls.
Israel Galván, who dazzled us in DC as the Clown Prince of Flamenco, artfully slid between canvasses, alternately light and shadow. Eva Yerbabuena was all slim torso, in a sheer red top from navel to neck. A team of beautiful young women danced a Processionale, each covered in a transparent cloak; another team, all in red, danced in Vee formation, and master cinematographer Vittoria Storaro wisely focused on the leader, who riveted us with her eye contact. The stage lighting was a separate character, often warm and dramatic in close-up. Back-to-back grand pianos dueled and complemented one another, seen from every angle, including a bird’s eye view.
When Estela Velez debuted her tour de force, “Lorca: Flamenco Poetry,” on 28 February 2009 (http://dcflamenco.com/flamencopoetry02282009.html) she closed with “Verde,” the haunting song by Manzanita based on Lorca’s poem. Saura opened and closed his great new film with the same melody, performed in a male/female duet. He also used the immortal Lorca/Camarón favorite, “La Leyenda del Tiempo.” This film is scheduled for AMC Mazza Gallerie on April 14 and back at the Avalon on April 16.
COPYRIGHT
This work is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any medium without written permission from Ken McNaughton Living Trust, 3778 College Avenue, Ellicott City, MD 21043; phone/fax: 410-418-9340; kjmcn@comcast.net (11 April 2011).