The Spirit of the Beehive

1973 Director Victor Erice

In a small Castilian village in 1940, in the wake of the country's civil war, six-year-old Ana attends a traveling movie show of Frankenstein with her teasing sister and becomes possessed by the memory of it. She comes upon a deserter in a remote animal shelter on her father's farm and draws parallels between his plight and that of the monster.

The film's cinematography is lovingly shot with long atmospheric scenes. The child that plays Ana shows a remarkable talent. In particular the dinner scene where her father shows her the watch that the soldier was discovered with. The eye contact shots make all dialogue superfluous.

It is noteworthy that all characters have used their real first names. Apparently this was a late alteration to the script because Ana became too confused with the character's names.

Produced as Franco's long regime was nearing it's end, The Spirit of the Beehive is a bewitching portrait of a child's haunted inner life and one of the most visually arresting movies ever made.