Dance of the Spirits

Carlos Saura
Aída Gómez, Sara Baras, Antonio Carlos, Marta Carrasco, Rosa Torres Pardo
2005
Spain, France
Completed
Spanish
120 minutes
Detailed introduction
This film (drama)Also known asIberia,is aSpain, FranceProducerwomen sex,At2005Released in year
。The dialogue language isSpanish,Current Douban rating8.9(For reference only)。
The over seventy-year-old Carlos Saura has directed multiple music and dance films, acclaimed as a true master of the musical genre. His work has even inspired Baz Luhrmann's breakout film, "Strictly Ballroom," which also includes influences from Saura. His 2005 film "Iberia" is the sixth film he has made focusing on flamenco, yet his energetic call to action draws renowned Spanish dancers and musicians performing in major concert halls worldwide, who leave their work behind to return to Spain for the filming. The film "Iberia," inspired by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz's twelve-piece suite "Iberia," is a perfect fusion of Spanish artistry in a music dance film. The film features internationally acclaimed Spanish performers, including pianist Rosa Torres Pardo and dancer Aida Gomez. "Iberia" was shot entirely in one studio, yet it depicts scenes set in over a dozen Spanish cities, with day turning into night, and the grandeur of heavy rain being recreated inside the studio. The design of the art, sets, and lighting is very complex, and the versatile Saura not only directed but also conceived all the original ideas for the scenes. With a total budget of 150 million TWD, "Iberia" brings together over two hundred dancers, musicians, singers, and staff each day, filling the vast studio to capacity. Saura has gathered the best of Spanish artistic performances, transcending boundaries between media. From pure flamenco to new flamenco, amidst the rich flamenco style, elements of ballet, contemporary dance, flamenco jazz, and the classical national music of Albéniz are uniquely interwoven, presenting varied musical styles, experimental theater performances, and the interplay of rationality and physical rawness. Top Spanish artists have come together, pouring their abundant energy into creating this century's "Iberia." The original title of "Iberia" refers to the Iberian Peninsula, but it also means "Spanish people." The dance includes various forms of flamenco performance, capturing the passions and torments of flamenco in each section; the stage is filled with powerful yet delicate dancing, expressing the tension between body and soul, softness and strength. From solo dances to group performances, the dancers blend physical movements with dramatic facial expressions, allowing the audience to feel the deep yet subtle charm of flamenco through the dancers' expressions of sorrow, joy, pride, passion, indifference, humor, and irony. Furthermore, Rosa's elegant piano solos and the powerful march performed by the brass band, along with the heartfelt singing in a gypsy style, show that music is not merely an accompaniment to flamenco but resonates in harmony with the audience's breath and rhythm.