El Espiritu De La Colmena

El Espiritu de La Colmena is a stark representation of post-War Spain and the internal and external conflicts faced by the survivors of the war. El Espiritu de la Colmena is considered one of the first significant Spanish films to come out of Spain and help to drive the Spanish filmmaking industry. El Espiritu de la Colmena by Victor Erice was released in 1973 towards the end of Franco's dictatorship and provides sentimental and political commentary on the effects of the Civil War and subsequent government. Strikingly beautiful and powerful, the mise-en-scene of the film helps to drive the story forward and provides insight into character, familial, and communal conflicts.

The film's cinematography captures the isolation felt by the community and Ana, a young girl enraptured by Tod Browning's Frankenstein. The film's titular opening sequence feature hand drawn pictures that portray Ana's experiences throughout the film and set the story up much like a fairy tale. The opening shot helps to reinforce the isolated nature of the quiet community. Furthermore, the use of exterior long shots appear set a calm tone in which the community appears to dwell in tranquility, yet is haunted by the tragedy of war. The openness of the fields also enhances the solitary feeling in the movie. Close up shots of the characters are utilized to show the intimacy within their relationship, as though an unspoken bond or knowledge is implied.

It is also important to note the symbolic structure of Ana's home; the honeycombed windows and overall yellow tint contribute to the madness felt within the home. Ana's father is obsessed with caring for his bees, her mother, Teresa, corresponds with a far off lover, and her sister enjoys tormenting her. The house feels empty, much like the open fields, and is scarcely decorated. The only furniture shown includes a piano, the sister's bedroom, and the dining table. Fernando's, Ana's father, study is kept mostly dark when he is working, with a dimly lit candle the only source of light; it appears as though Fernando is kept mostly in the dark about his family due to his work that keeps him busy with his bees. The use of chiaroscuro helps to emphasize the internal turmoil within the relationships between Fernando and Teresa, and Ana's inner turmoil.

The costuming in the film also contributes to the general mood of El Espiritu de la Colmena. The colors remain mostly muted and the designs are kept fairly simple. There is a vast difference between those in power and those that have rebelled against the government, as shown with the military uniform and with the fugitive which Ana tries to help. The costuming helps to provide the historical backdrop of the film, and emphasizes the simple lives led by the inhabitants of the village.

It is important to note the role of Tod Browning's Frankenstein in the film. At the beginning of the film, there is much excitement at the prospect of being able to attend the screening of the Spanish dubbed version of Frankenstein, and though Ana's sister Isabel tells Ana that she knows that what happened in the film isn't real, Ana still relates to the film, seeing herself as the little girl, full of curiosity, and later on, the monster. It is after Ana views the film, that she becomes more active at night, running away in order to try and find the mysterious spirit or ghost that Isabel has told her about. As Ana becomes more entranced with the darkness around her, she begins to explore her surroundings by herself. She is later shown to be playing by herself near an abandoned sheepfold, whereupon she later encounters a fugitive. Much like the relationship between the monster in Frankenstein and the little girl, Ana innocently tries to take care of the soldier only to unknowingly contribute to his demise. Ana, wracked with guilt, blames herself for the execution of the fugitive and subsequently runs away. While in the forest, Ana comes upon a stream, and while gazing into her reflection in the water, she imagines that she is the monster and that the monster has materialized both within her and within her world. Not only does she realize that monsters are found within individuals, but also are a part of her environment. After a night of looking for Ana, a search party finds her sleeping behind some ruins and takes her home. It is after she is returned home that her haunting guilt begins to noticeably consume her as she remains in the dark and refuses to talk to anyone in the house, including Isabel with whom she was once very close to. The closing scenes within the film show Ana trying to reconnect with the spirit that she once chased at the beginning of her journey towards self-discovery.