Critique of 'The Spirit of the Beehive' Spanish Film Analysis

This report provides a detailed critique of the Spanish film 'The Spirit of the Beehive,' directed by Victor Erice. The film, set in post-Civil War Spain, centers on a young girl named Ana and her fascination with a Frankenstein movie. The report analyzes the film's symbolism, characters, and historical context, including the portrayal of family dynamics and societal isolation. It explores the impact of media on children, specifically the influence of cinema on Ana's perceptions and emotional development. The analysis considers the roles of key characters like Ana, her sister Isabel, and the Frankenstein monster, and how the film reflects the socio-political climate of 1940s Spain. The report also discusses the film's themes of childhood innocence, fear, and the disintegration of family life in the aftermath of the war, drawing on various sources to support its arguments.

SPANISH FILM

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Film critique...........................................................................................................................1
Impact of media on youth and children..................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
The Spirit of the Beehive – Víctor Erice, 1973
The Spirit of the Beehive is a Spanish Drama directed by Victor Erice who is known as
masterpiece of Spanish Cinema. The movie is based on Young Girl and her fascination.
However, the girl is represented as Ana who is exploring her school life and family. The film is
known as “be witching portrait of haunted inner life of girl”. The symbolism of story reflects
disintegration of family's emotional life during civil war (Miles, 2011). The two main characters
of Movie are Ana Torrent as Ana and José Villasante as The Frankenstein Monster.
MAIN BODY
Film critique
The story is based on Ana, a Six year old girl who is shy girl and lives in Manor hours
which is an isolated Spanish Village located at Castilian plateau. She lived with her parents
Teresa and Fernando and her older sister Isabel. The story was of 1940 just after end of Civil
war. In this the mother of Ana was a daydreamer of distant lover whereas her father used to
spend time in writing about Beehives. The movie is based on emergence of mobile cinema which
introduced both sister with Frankenstein to which Ana and Isabel used to see it. However, it was
denoted that Ana was influenced by the particular scene where Frankenstein which was monster
kills young little girl. She was completely involved in scene and therefore used to ask her sister
about the reason of killing (Ebery, 2012).
To make Ana understand Isabel explained that monster is like a spirt and she can see it if
she closes her eyes and calls him. The movie is based on fascination of Ana and it increases
when her sister takes her to Sheepfold and she Ana claims that house is of monster. Further, in
the story the Ana was involved with the monster house and discovered wounded republican
soldier who was hiding. Apparently instead of running away from him she feed him and bring
him home. Further, the police founded soldier and shoot him on the spot and when Ana went to
him she found that soldier was lying on the floor with blood stains. She confronts her father and
runs away. Hence, in last family and villagers looks for Ana and found her near lake in deep
trauma where she was unable to forget the entire scenario happened with soldier.
The character in the movie signifies different role as per their charactertics where father
of little girls writes about Beehive, monther repted role of day dreamer for her beloved and
therefore Ana little girl takes advice from her sister Isabel.
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The historical context is based on Francisco Franco who came into power in 1939 in
Spain just after civil war. The movie denoted separation of family and society after war. The
film symbolizes barren empty landscapes around the sheepfold have been seen as representing
Spain's isolation in initial years of Francoist state. In addition, it is based on mindless of activity
of Beehive which is art of making enclosed structure in which species of honey bee lives and
raise their young ones (White, 2016). As per the analysis and own understanding, it can be siad
that the main characters of movie were Ana Torrent as Ana, José Villasante as The Frankenstein
Monster and Isabel Tellería as Isabel.
Impact of media on youth and children
According to Impact of media use on children and youth, 2003, it has been analysed that
media influences psychosocial development of children. It comprises radio, video games, movie,
internet etc. As per author. It has been analysed that it impact brain development of child where
the individual starts imagining things which can lead to exposure to violence, offensive language
etc. The article focuses on violent television programming which can lead to increase in violent
behaviour by children. Further, I feel that in movie the major cause of Ana health and trauma
was mobile cinema where she went with her sister. Entertainment for children is good but in
presence of elder person who understands the difference of wrong and right. Like the monster in
film became reality for Ana which could have dragged little girl into uncertain situation.
Hence, the characters and their role in movie also helps in developing knowledge over
Spanish society their living standards and languages in 1940. From the very start of movie, it was
clear that the development of Ans was based on the sister Isabela as her father was busy in
writing about the art of Beehive and her mother was day dreamer about the distant love, to whom
she was used to write letters. Further, it outlined the involvement of children in world of
technology and cinema where Ana was considering Monster as part of reality. In addition, the
story also outlined about Frankenstein who was monster and Ana was not scared of the wounded
soldier as she was interested in fascination and learning more about monster and her
assumptions.
CONCLUSION
The movie summarizes fasciation of little girl Ana, who lived on isolated Spanish plateau
just after end of Civil war. It is a historical film which is beautifully presented with dramatic and
horror concepts. The film also represented about art of making Beehive and impact of emergence
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of digital cinema. Moreover, it can be said that the movie is based on presenting and developing
understating among people about civilization, fascination and separation of Spanish families and
society (Muir, 2015). The basic teaching is movie is based on children fascination from mobile
cinema. Thus, from the discussion has been concluded that The Spirit of the Beehive was the
perfect movie which can be argued and discussed in different aspects.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Miles, R.J., (2011). Reclaiming Revelation: Pan's Labyrinth and The Spirit of the Beehive.
Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 28(3). pp.195-203.
Muir, J. K. (2015). Henry’s Kids. The Supernatural Cinema of Guillermo del Toro: Critical
Essays. 112.
White, J. (2016). European Art Cinema. Routledge.
Online
Ebery R. (2012). Spirit of the Beehive. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-spirit-of-the-beehive-1973>.
Impact of media use on children and youth. 2003. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792691/>.
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