A 1931 Spanish military deserter finds himself on a lonely farm until the farmer's four daughters pay a visit and he falls for all of them.A 1931 Spanish military deserter finds himself on a lonely farm until the farmer's four daughters pay a visit and he falls for all of them.A 1931 Spanish military deserter finds himself on a lonely farm until the farmer's four daughters pay a visit and he falls for all of them.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 25 wins & 15 nominations total
Joan Potau
- Paco
- (as Juan Potau)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen accepting his Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, director (Fernando Trueba) said: "I would like to believe in God in order to thank him for this prize, but I only believe in (Billy Wilder), so... Thank you, Mr. Wilder!". Wilder himself reportedly phoned Trueba a few days later for acknowledgment and told him: "Hello Fernando, I'm God".
- GoofsAmalia sings "En un pais de fábula" from Pablo Sorozábal's zarzuela "La tabernera del puerto". The situation of the movie is in early 1930s, whereas this zarzuela was first staged in 1936.
- SoundtracksEn un país de fábula
(from La tabernera del puerto)
Written by Pablo Sorozábal (as Pablo Sorozabal), Guillermo Fernández Shaw and Federico Romero
Performed by Mary Carmen Ramírez
Featured review
Belle Aventura
Fernando Trueba's enchanting 'Belle Epoque' is a delightful little 'folktale' that is lyrical, sensual, hilarious, whimsical and human. Azcona's cleverly written screenplay is rich with wit, sarcasm and history. In addition to that the film also looks beautiful and authentic (compared to the overload of glossy look in a majority of films).
Set in a country farm, it tells the story of a young soldier (Jorge Sanz), a deserter, who escapes and finds solace at Manolo's (Fernando Fernán Gómez) house where he falls for his four daughters, the widow (Miriam Díaz-Aroca), the lesbian (Ariadna Gil), the belle (Maribel Verdú) and the virgin (Penélope Cruz). On the surface the story sounds may sound odd but it's splendidly quirky. It successfully avoids the 'cliches' that are so evident in many European films that make it to the so-called international platform begging for a best foreign language Oscar (even though 'Belle Epoque' won it in 1993).
The storytelling here, for one, feels very natural and not one scene looks forced. The editing smoothens things finely and the score is first rate as it gives 'Belle Epoque' that final whimsical touch.
All the actors do a superb job. Fernando Fernán Gómez is very likable as the patron of the family. Miriam Díaz-Aroca, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú and Penélope Cruz are excellent as the stunning looking daughters. Jorge Sanz is great as the naive hero and Gabino Diego provides wonderful comic relief.
In the end, 'Belle Epoque' is a delicious combination of humour, music, sex, romance, self-discovery and adventure, a celebration of life itself.
Set in a country farm, it tells the story of a young soldier (Jorge Sanz), a deserter, who escapes and finds solace at Manolo's (Fernando Fernán Gómez) house where he falls for his four daughters, the widow (Miriam Díaz-Aroca), the lesbian (Ariadna Gil), the belle (Maribel Verdú) and the virgin (Penélope Cruz). On the surface the story sounds may sound odd but it's splendidly quirky. It successfully avoids the 'cliches' that are so evident in many European films that make it to the so-called international platform begging for a best foreign language Oscar (even though 'Belle Epoque' won it in 1993).
The storytelling here, for one, feels very natural and not one scene looks forced. The editing smoothens things finely and the score is first rate as it gives 'Belle Epoque' that final whimsical touch.
All the actors do a superb job. Fernando Fernán Gómez is very likable as the patron of the family. Miriam Díaz-Aroca, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú and Penélope Cruz are excellent as the stunning looking daughters. Jorge Sanz is great as the naive hero and Gabino Diego provides wonderful comic relief.
In the end, 'Belle Epoque' is a delicious combination of humour, music, sex, romance, self-discovery and adventure, a celebration of life itself.
- Chrysanthepop
- Mar 5, 2013
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Прекрасна епоха
- Filming locations
- Arruda dos vinhos, Lisbon, Portugal(Quinta do Bulhaco: Manolo's estate at 38°56'55"N, 9°03'51"W)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,418,216
- Gross worldwide
- $5,418,502
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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