User reviews

Comical (farce at times), deeply human movie about an army deserter who meets up with a kindly, old, artistic gent who offers him refuge. The deserter is packed up and ready to go, until the artist's four beautiful daughters arrive. This sets in motion a plot that will keep you laughing, dialogue that will keep you thinking and characters that will keep you entertained. The humor is not forced and the chuckle is at life's absurdities, politics, most of all, human nature. Momma's entrance into the story is unique and melodic, to say the least. The movie is kind of kooky and not a by-the-numbers flick, and a satisfying watch. Sidebar: It did get the Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film.

"Belle Epoque" is a light-hearted comedy romp which tells of the goings-on at a Spanish villa (circa 1931) involving a patriarch, his four beautiful and amorous daughters, and a wayward young man who can't say "no". Fanciful, warm, fun, and sexy, this Oscar winning film flows like honey as it aims for the heart, not the crotch or head, and hits the mark. Most likely to be appreciated by more seasoned viewers with an interest in Europics. (A-)

Note - This film has considerable dialogue making for significant subtitle reading for non-Spanish speakers.

Belle Epoque is a light, wistful romantic comedy, easy to watch, and easier to love. It is set in glorious pre-Franco Spain and is as beautifully filmed as it is written and acted.

The story entails (in a nutshell) a young army deserter who befriends an older man who is an artist and a self-proclaimed anarchist. The old man has four beautiful daughters and film carries you along as our young hero falls in love with each in order.

Belle Epoque is one of those rare gems that does not stray from its purpose - to be a celebration of love and romance and comic tale of a young soldier controlled by his libido. No violence, car chase scenes, drippy pre-packaged morality plays - just plain fun.

If you have not tried watching a sub-titled movie or have had little exposure to foreign films, start here. Belle Epoque is the best film I have seen out of Spain and an all-time personal favourite.

***1/2 out of ****.

This awesome film has a simple plot : A man , four women and a lot of romance . It deals with a Spanish soldier named Fernando (Jorge Sanz) deserts from the army in 1931, at the beginning of Spanish Republic , a time of optimism and promise and previous Civil War (1936-1939) . Fernando flees only to find himself detained by a pair of local Guardia Civil . The hearty young boy and main character, well portrayed by Jorge Sanz (still one of Spain's most promising young actors), breaks outs and soon is befriended a lonely ,elderly man called Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez) in a little village . Problems arise when the Manolo's four daughters (Penelope Cruz , Miriam Diaz Aroca , Maribel Verdu , Ariadna Gil) come to visit their daddy and the soldier quickly enchanted falls in love with each of them . Fernando likes all of them and they like him , so he must decide which one to love , or Rocio, Violeta, Clara and Luz .

Earthy comedy with historical and romantic elements ; including enjoyable performances , adequate set design and delightfully shot . ¨Belle Epoque" , ¨The age of beauty¨ results to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with youthful love , being developed in mirth , lively and vital style . An agreeable story in which an ex-soldier escapes and discovers the opposite sex on the way , it is plenty of amusing moments , moving feelings and fun finale . It is a light , wistful romantic comedy , easy to watch , and easier to love . A very pleasant romantic comedy plenty of humor , emotion , sensitive scenes and mayhem . "Belle Epoque" is Trueba's return to top form, with an intelligent and engaging script which uses amusing situations to give us a good movie in a high sense and intimate sensitivity and that kept me entertained for the almost two hours of duration . It is well set and is as marvelously filmed as it is written and acted . This is one of those rare gems that does not stray from its purpose - to be a celebration of love and romance and humorous tale of a young boy controlled by his libido . Oscarized director Fernando Trueba , also writes the interesting script along with prestigious screenwriters as Jose Luis Garcia Sanchez and Rafael Azcona , Luis Garcia Berlanga's ordinary . Filmed in his usual formal and luxurious style , without leaving a trace the joyful themes , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The film is light and never somber, no small accomplishment from Fernando Trueba and his team . Very good secondary cast formed by Spanish familiar faces such as Gabino Diego , Agustin Gonzalez , Maria Galiana , Juan Jose Otegui , Mary Carmen Ramirez , Chus Lampreave : Almodovar's usual and the French Michel Galabru . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine , one of the best Spanish cameramen . Gorgeous exteriors filmed in Portugal ; Fernando Trueba shot the movie in Portugal for two main reasons : 1) he couldn't find any place similar to what he had in mind in Spain and 2) the use of that Portuguese location allowed him to empathize the tone of fable the story required . Jolly as well as sensitive musical score by Antoine Duhamel , including Non-Original music by Pablo Sorozábal from opera "La Taberna del Puerto" and some catching song as when Gabino comes to serenade Rocìo, he sings "Las Mañanitas" which in México is used to celebrate a birthday .

This simple , attractive and delightful motion picture was well directed by Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba , as the flick is entertaining and well worth your time . His first success was Ópera Prima (1980) following the style of the "Madrid comedy". Trueba had major success with Sé Infiel y No mires Quién (1985) also known as : Be Wanton and Tread No Shame , starting a longer collaboration with the producer Andrés Vicente Gómez . He went on directing numerous successes such as Coarse salt , Too Much , Year of Enlightment , Milagro de Candeal , Niña De Tus Ojos or The Girl of Your Dreams , Calle 54 , Embrujo De Shanghai , Chico and Rita and recently : The Artist and the Model. The multi-award winner in Spain Fernando Trueba was President of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and he received the 1994 Oscar for Best Foreign Film to Belle Epoque (1992)and when 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".

Belle Epoque is one of those movies you don't see every weekend at the theatre. It is a film set in a certain age (in this case: Spain during the times of the civil war), where the age itself is not very important, but it effects the way the story evolves. The best thing of all in this film is the acting and the comedy. The farce is excellent - hardly ever seen a film with such intelligent humourism. The first time I saw the film was in Spanish and I laughed my guts out (even though I do not know Spanish a lot ). The story too is not too complicated and at the same time it is not at all banal. The highlight of the film, in my opinion, is when the wife of Manolo goes to visit him and starts singing an aria from some opera. Some of the comic highlights of this movie are when Rojio is asked to try her mother-in-law -to-be's wedding dress and when Juanito enters her bed. The best quote from the film is Clara's: "A Woman cannot stay without a man, especially at night." Anyway, just about everything about this movie is great. Well, in short, WATCH IT

Lively and cheerful comedy with Spanish all-star-cast and masterfully realized by Fernando Trueba.

A man being seduced by four beautiful sisters; no other comment should be necessary. But this movie has excellent character development, funny dialogues, beautiful cinematography and an irresistible overall charm. Although this movie might be more enjoyable to guys (like me), I don't think any woman would find it offensive at all. It's a very enjoyable movie

This film was a mildly amusing diversion. There were a few good comic moments. The acting was competent but I think the language barrier prevented me from garnering more enjoyment from the film. Having seen a few of Penelope Cruz's English films I wasn't too impressed but naturally she seems more in her element here. 6/10.

What an amusing, beautifully done movie. Just this one point to add: it has a father who is neither dysfunctional nor a buffoon but a wise, compassionate mentor offering subtle, wry commentary throughout - how refreshing. I laughed the whole way through.

It's the winter of 1930. The Spanish civil war is building. Fernando deserts the Army. After months of wandering the countryside, he gets arrested when he's found with a bible. The policemen argue about letting him go and get themselves killed. Fernando befriends the elderly Manolo who introduces him to his four beautiful daughters. Clara is still mourning her husband. Violeta is a lesbian. Rocío (Maribel Verdú) is being wooed by a young man from a rich family. The youngest Luz (Penélope Cruz) is the innocent. He has a fling with each one but they all fall apart in turn until Luz.

There is some fun to this movie. The main drawback is Fernando. It's no doubt that Jorge Sanz is a beautiful boy but he is a boy among women. By reason of the plot, he can't be the pursuer of the sisters. Time and time again, things happen to him instead of the other way around. It's also a bit of a male fantasy movie. The humor struggles to rise above the awkwardness. For example, the opening with the two policemen is gallows humor but the suicide is off-putting. It would be infinitely funnier if he simply slip away while the two men argued. I understand the humor but some of it struck me wrong. Overall, there is some fun and there are the four beautiful individual female characters.

Belle Époque is an outstanding film. Maribel Verdu looks absolutely beautiful. Actually, all the main characters do. The film's brilliance lies in a wonderfully genuine portrayal of everyday life. You'll be disappointed if you decide to watch this movie somewhere in the middle of the X-Men trilogy. While there may be no action heroes in this one, there's plenty of action, and it's done with the utmost taste and style. That's reason enough for watching. It's not a porno though, but here's something it definitely is. Unlike Hollywood's unrealistically gut wrenching dramas filled with the tearful screams of assaulted women, fueled by an ever growing number of one dimensionally cruel men, all done in an attempt to present a sophisticated analysis of everyday life, this movie actually presents a sophisticated analysis of everyday life! Belle Époque manages to avoid a single blow, scream or any other action for that matter not belonging in real life. Except maybe the very first scene, which redeems itself by being so unpretentiously philosophical. Instead, we get a wonderful rare glimpse of the very same awkwardly confusing moments, timid desires and childishly idealistic hopes that seem to littler our own lives. To summarize the plot, a young Spanish soldier first meets a middle aged/old man, and then meets his 4 beautiful daughters. There are several sub-plots, based on the various political and social changes sweeping through Spain at the time. These diversions from the character's lives actually end up seamlessly integrated with the main plot, because Spain's political and social unrest actually ends up effecting the actions of all the characters the same way it probably effected everyone who actually lived through it. By all means, check this one out.

How this piece of shameless fluff ever managed to win Best Foreign Film will forever escape me. In a nutshell: Aimless drifter manages to nail all four beautiful daughters of an elderly friend. Yep, that's the plot. You know, with 10% less atmosphere and 5% more nudity, this could easily have been one of those softcore boob flicks which has made late night Showtime what it is. But since it comes with subtitles, naturally, it must be art.

Spanish cinema has something that the Portuguese need to learn: it knows how to make films that are enjoyable, entertaining, commercially viable, and yet artistically beautiful and well-made. This movie is far from one of the best, and it decidedly hasn't stood the test of time: I would never have heard of it if I hadn't found the movie on the Internet by chance. The presence of some well-known actors and actresses helped my decision to see it, and I was even pleasantly surprised to discover that the film was filmed in Portugal (I discovered this through the train's locomotive, which I recognized as Portuguese).

The script was well written, and weaves a light comedy around a deserting soldier and a very liberal family for the period in which everything takes place, the thirties of the last century. The context is a Spain in political upheaval: the monarchy, unpopular and unloved, is increasingly contested by the people, who place hopes in socialism and republicanism. This is how the republican military uprising in Jaca takes place. The defeat leads Fernando, one of the rebel soldiers, to flee and desert, ending up in a rural region where he meets Manolo, an elderly republican who is quite progressive, but lonely, since his four daughters already live their lives away from their father's house. . When they finally arrive, Fernando refuses to leave because he is enchanted by their beauty: one of them, Clara, is a recent widow; Violet, on the other hand, is a lesbian; Rocío, on the other hand, is dating a boy, from the region, rich, idiot and supporter of Carlist ideologies. The youngest daughter, Luz, is the most innocent.

What follows is a cross-over between each of the old man's daughters and the deserting soldier. He actually goes to bed with all of them, and falls in love with each one in turn, which is both hilarious and absurd, and even anachronistic, since it goes against the narrow and closed morality of the Iberian countryside. From that time, when courtship was more social and heavily guarded by the girls' families. This was what irritated me most about the film: the anachrony of the behaviors and excessive sexual tolerance of those people. This seems much more like the product of some modern sexual fetish than a story set in the 1930s.

The actors do a reasonably good job: Jorge Sanz is a gentle protagonist, but his performance as an actor is rather lukewarm and he turns out to be quite erased by the good performance of the actresses. Penélope Cruz and Maribel Verdú are the best actresses: each in their own character, they completely dominate the action with funny and well-executed interpretations. Ariadna Gil is rarely seen, but she also handled the task at hand well. Miriam Diaz-Aroca, in turn, is limited to the average. Fernando Fernán Gomez is a veteran who gives us a good performance, but in an ill-conceived character.

Shot in Portugal, the film is quite elegant and the cinematography works very well, as it does much to give the film a dreamlike look, emphasizing rural beauty and nature. The sets and costumes were well done, and easily transport us to the 30s. The good soundtrack also deserves praise, even if it doesn't have any memorable songs.

Hard to see why anyone would compare this unfavorably with Fellini or Bergman unless they only like those with dark and/or complicated scenarios.

This is, as others have pointed out, a rite-of-passage farce. It's funny even with the subtitles.

Essentially the young man beds -and falls momentarily in love with- every young female in an eccentric Spanish clan.

The human condition is first and foremost... no one hatching nefarious plots or playing off their agenda against the dark side.

And it's incredibly beautifully shot.

Don't expect very profound films of Fernando Trueba. His trademark are films that are very sensual but contain little explicit sex. "Belle epoque" is an excellent example of this trademark.

A deserter from the army finds a refuge in a house with four daughters. He has a romance with each one of them. Each episode contains a different aspect of female sexuality, but in each episode (except one!) there also arise a complication preventing the romance to evolve into a marriage.

To be honest, the attractions of the movie are the beautiful and seductive daughters, one even more beautiful than the other. Luz is probably played by the most famous actress (Penélope Cruz). Rocio is played by the best actress (Maribel Verdu) and Violeta (played by Ariadna Gil) has the most interesting part.

The story of "Belle epoque" resembles very much the story of "The beguiled" (1971, Don Siegel), in which a deserter finds refuge in a girls boarding school. The ambiance of the two films is however totally different. "Belle epoque" is permeated with a Roman Catholic belief system. The doctrine is strict, but one has an open eye for the fact that the flesh is weak. In "The beguiled" the ambiance is much less frivolous. Guilt and penitence are the key words of this film.

In 1931 a deserter ends in a country farm where lives an old artist in his four daughters. As he has anywhere to go, he stays there, falling in love with both of four daughters, which will cause lots of embarrassing and funny situations. Which well built characters (unusual in this kind of movie) and a unexpectedly good acting (well, the actors are good, and they DO they job). The film though not very laughable, is pleasant to see and results interesting.

Maybe it is not a masterpiece, but it is better than the average Spanish comedy. It won the 1992 academy awards as the best foreign language picture, which explains a little more about the quality of the film. But at the end, it is just a comedy, don't be very tight while watching it.

Fernando Trueba's film was awarded a few prizes when it was shown originally. On second viewing recently, I thought it was perhaps over praised. This story of a Spain before its own Civil War is picaresque in tone, and doesn't predict what will happen in the country in a few years, as it plays for whatever laughs it can get.

Fernando makes out like a bandit. After deserting the army, he ends up befriending Manolo, a local artist. Manolo is an anarchist, but that doesn't mean he is best friends with the local priest, who by the way, feels at home in the church as well as in the local brothel. Trueba is perhaps telling us about the duplicity of the clergy in Spain.

Fernando ends up making love to Manolo's four daughters. Even Violeta, who is a lesbian, has her turn with Fernando, but only when he has dressed as a woman for the local carnival. There are no jealousies from any one of the sisters because each one has her turn in a civilized way, or the way it should be!

Fernando Fernan Gomez is the patriarch Manolo. As always, he delivers. Jorge Sanz, as the rascal Fernando, is not as effective as in other films. Maribel Verdu is fine as Rocio, the sister who wants to get married to the local rich boy, Juanito, but she has no problems in having a good time with Fernando. Penelope Cruz, before Hollywood, is effective as Luz, the youngest sister. Finally, Chus Lampreave makes a funny appearance as Dona Asun, the mother of Juanito.

The winner of Best Foreign Language Film for 1993 depicts soldier Fernando (Jorge Sanz) deserting his platoon and ending up seduced by the daughters of an artist whose house he hides in. Fernando Trueba's look at Spain in the early '30s - a few years before the civil war - has just about every clever scene that you can imagine. But most importantly, "Belle epoque" shows how Fernando has to try his luck with each woman and in the process coming to understand whether or not her goal in life fits with his. It's like a second coming of age for Fernando, while the artist has his own issues to deal with. And of course, one can see the various divisions in Spanish society that eventually led to the civil war (the sisters' different personalities sort of mirror that, although none of them is like Franco). A really good and thought-provoking movie. Also starring Maribel Verdú and Penélope Cruz.

Pope Pius X outlawed the tango. WHAT A JERK!!!!!!!

Spanish director Fernando Trueba turned-to Rafael Azcona, with whom he had co-scripted the equally charming rites-of-passage study El Ano de Las Luces, for the dialogues in this Oscar-winning film. Jorge Sanz also makes a reappearance as an innocent young man who becomes the focus of intense interest for four beautiful and enchanting sisters. So does Maribel Verdu, who plays Rocio. The delectable Penelope Cruz fresh from her pouting role in Jamon Jamon is adorable, whilst Adriana Gil (Violeta) demonstrates that she is probably the most technically-acomplished actress working in Spanish cinema today.

Shot on location in Portugal, this is a richly sumptuous, very Latin, film with many memorable moments, including a wonderful operatic scene in which the girls' mother brings joy to a household where the senses of all her daughters have already been awakened by Fernando's (Sanz's) arrival. The anti-clerical scenes towards the end of the film, it is true, seem somehow incongruous, but the true extent of Trueba's achievement is shown in the wonderful performances he coaxes from the whole cast including the veteran Argentine actor Fernando Fernan Gomez, who plays the long-suffering father!

A delight to the senses. Watch it!

In 1931 Spain an Army deserter, Fernando (Jorge Sanz) comes upon an elderly farmer and his four incredibly beautiful unmarried daughters. Fernando himself is also unbelievably handsome...he's attracted to the girls and they're all attracted to him. Basically it turns into a sex farce with Fernando sleeping with all of them but he can only love one.

Just incredible. It takes a time-worn plot and makes it appear fresh and new. There's also some talk about politics of the time (which I know nothing about) but even THAT was interesting!

The film is lushly photographed--the scenery is just beautiful in each and every shot. Also Sanz is one of the most gorgeous men I've ever seen and all the girls are just breath-taking. Add to that a very funny, sharp script (I LOVE the scene when the mother arrives home and how she announces it) and a very strong, erotic feel to it. Despite the strong sexual tone there is next to no nudity in the film. Sanz is always clothed (there's a brief shot of his chest) and we get a glimpse of a pair of breasts--but that's it. Still, the feeling is in there. This is most definetely NOT a film for the kids. And it has a slightly bitter sweet but very happy ending.

Basically a beautiful, funny, gorgeous movie. Don't miss this one!

'Belle epoque', the movie by director Fernando Trueba was made in 1992, towards the end of a period that radically transformed Spanish cinema. His country had awakened to freedom after decades of dictatorship and censorship, and its artists, filmmakers among the first, were practicing and learning to use free expression-both as subject matter and as artistic forms. While several great filmmakers who had survived the decades of dictatorship were ending their careers, new names and exceptional talents were emerging. It was, of course, Almodovar, but he was not alone and Fernando Trueba was among the names that became known in the 80s. The controversial and trauma-filled history of 20th century Spain was also addressed and reconsidered. 'Belle Epoque' stands out among the films made about the recent past by young filmmakers at the time with a positive and entertaining approach. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Trueba looks to the past not with anger but with the intention of finding something interesting and different, that will attract and entertain viewers. The result was beyond expectations, it was successful then (it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993) and, seen or re-seen today, it passes the test of time without a problem.

It could easily be a drama, if not a tragedy. The story takes place in 1931, in a brief period of hope, an exception in the Spanish history of the first half of the 20th century. The monarchy had fallen after the abdication of King Alfonso XIII, the republic had been proclaimed and the first rebellions of the anti-republican armed forces had been repressed. Fernando, a young deserter soldier, arrives in a village somewhere in the heart of Spain and finds shelter in the house of an elderly man, the avant-garde painter Manolo. The artist lives alone, hasn't painted for a while (because everything that needed to be painted has been already painted!) and holds philosophical-political discussions with the village priest. His wife, a famous opera singer, is absent all the time, on tour with her lover. On the day Fernando decides to leave, Manolo's four daughters arrive on the same train. Seeing them, the young man decides to stay. One is a widow, another a lesbian, the third is about to get married and the fourth is Penélope Cruz. They are all beautiful. What follows are the gallant adventures of the young man, a naive Don Juan who will share the charms with the four sisters under the indulgent gaze of the father. A happy interlude that takes place in a temporal and geographical capsule of light and joy, in a century and a country beaten by history.

The genre of gallant comedies is not entirely new, and if we look for their predecessors we will find them in the paintings of the 18th century masters, including the Spanish ones. Even Francisco Goya has remarkable works in this genre. A light, bubbly and optimistic approach characterizes the film, despite the fact that it begins with a macabre scene and ends with breakups that could last forever. The characters live their joys and loves, but they are aware of what is happening in the world around them. Starring Jorge Sanz (Fernando) and Fernando Fernán Gómez (Manolo). The four female roles are played by Miriam Díaz-Aroca, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú and Penélope Cruz. 'Belle Epoque' is a film that should not be missed if you have the opportunity to see it.

The plot, this is a movie about a straggler that is taken in by a local Spanish elder who happens to have 4 very beautiful and very single daughters. In the next hour, the straggler ends up having relations with all four daughters. The side story of the Spanish civil war and the relationship between the 4 sisters and their parents is simple background to the main plot of sexual desire and the tension that becomes to obvious to hide. A beautiful cast of people, the ending is somewhat sad, but true. A nice film, and surprisingly, no nudity? Still, it is a nice "sexy" film.