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''The Ancines Woods'' ( also known as ''The Wolf's Forest'') is a 1970 Spanish
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
/
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
co-written, produced, and directed by
Pedro Olea Pedro Olea (30 June 1938, Bilbao) is a Spanish screenwriter, film producer and film director. His films '' A House Without Boundaries'' (1972) and '' Akelarre'' (1984) entered into the 22nd and the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. His ...
. It is based on the novel by Carlos Martínez-Barbeito, and is partially based on the life of
Manuel Blanco Romasanta Manuel Blanco Romasanta (né Manuela; 18 November 1809 – 14 December 1863) was Spain's first recorded serial killer. In 1853, he admitted to thirteen murders but claimed he was not responsible because he was suffering from a curse that caused ...
and his alleged
lycanthropy In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
.


Plot

The film focuses on Benito Freire, a lonely and miserable
peddler A peddler (American English) or pedlar (British English) is a door-to-door and/or travelling vendor of good (economics), goods. In 19th-century United States the word "drummer" was often used to refer to a peddler or traveling salesman; as exem ...
whose world is dominated by ignorance and superstition. Wandering through various Galicia towns, he regularly suffers from severe attacks of
epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...
. Rumors about him begin to spread throughout the region, rumors that claim that Benito is both a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
and possessed by a demonic spirit. As the rumors about him continue to spread, Benito slowly descends into madness.


Cast

*
José Luis López Vázquez José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre Medal of Merit in Labour, MMT (11 March 1922 – 2 November 2009) was a Spanish actor, comedian, costume designer, scenic designer, and assistant director whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He was ...
as Benito Freire *
Amparo Soler Leal Amparo Soler Leal (23 August 1933 – 25 October 2013) was a Spanish film actress. She was married to Adolfo Marsillach from 1954 to 1956, and to film producer Alfredo Matas from 1969 until his death in 1996. She worked often with Luis García ...
as Pacucha *
Antonio Casas Antonio Casas Barros (11 November 1911 – 14 February 1982) was a Spanish footballer turned film actor who appeared in film between 1941 and his death in 1982. Casas originally began as a footballer for Atlético Madrid, but entered film i ...
as Abad *
John Steiner John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but was best known to audiences for his roles ...
as Robert * Nuria Torray as Avelina * María Fernanda Ladrón de Guevara as Gabriela *
Alfredo Mayo Alfredo Fernández Martínez (17 May 1911 in Barcelona – 19 May 1985 in Palma de Mallorca) better known as Alfredo Mayo was a Spanish actor. Biography After studying medicine, in 1929 Mayo made his debut in the theatre with the company of ...
as Don Nicolás de Valcárcel *
Víctor Israel José María Soler Vilanova, better known as Víctor Israel (13 June 1929 – 19 September 2009), was a Spanish ( Catalan) film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films, beginning in 1961. Selected filmography * '' Savage Guns'' (1961) - (un ...
as Lameiro * María Vico as Queiruga *
Fernando Sánchez Polack Fernando Sánchez Polack (11 August 1920 – 24 January 1982) was a Spanish actor. He appeared in more than 110 films and television shows from 1959 to 1982, mostly in supporting roles in Spaghetti Western films. He starred in the 1966 film ...
as Vilairo * Pedro Luis León as Minguiños * María Arias as Mujer de Nicolás *
Porfiria Sanchíz Porfiria Sanchíz (1917–1983) was a Spanish film actress.González p.247 Selected filmography * '' Juan Simón's Daughter'' (1935) * ''Saint Rogelia'' (1940) * '' The Scandal'' (1943) * ''Public Trial'' (1946) * ''Unknown Path'' (1946) * ''Mare ...
as Vigaira * Pilar Vela as Sabina


Production

''El Bosque del Lobo'' is based on Carlos Martínez-Barbeito's 1947
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
''El bosque de Ancines''. The novella itself was partially based upon the life of Spanish
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
Manuel Blanco Romasanta Manuel Blanco Romasanta (né Manuela; 18 November 1809 – 14 December 1863) was Spain's first recorded serial killer. In 1853, he admitted to thirteen murders but claimed he was not responsible because he was suffering from a curse that caused ...
, who claimed to have suffered from
lycanthropy In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
. Development for the film began in 1969 when producer/director
Pedro Olea Pedro Olea (30 June 1938, Bilbao) is a Spanish screenwriter, film producer and film director. His films '' A House Without Boundaries'' (1972) and '' Akelarre'' (1984) entered into the 22nd and the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. His ...
was searching for his next project after directing his first film ''Días de viejo color'' (1968). Dissatisfied with the potential projects he was offered, Olea decided to produce and direct an adaption of Martínez-Barbeito's novella. Actor
José Luis López Vázquez José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre Medal of Merit in Labour, MMT (11 March 1922 – 2 November 2009) was a Spanish actor, comedian, costume designer, scenic designer, and assistant director whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He was ...
was cast to portray the film's main protagonist Benito. López Vázquez, who with the exception of ''
Peppermint Frappé ''Peppermint Frappé'' is a 1967 Spanish psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Carlos Saura, starring Geraldine Chaplin, José Luis López Vázquez and Alfredo Mayo. The story centers on a man who becomes obsessed with the wife ...
'' (1967) had mainly starred in
comedy of manners In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society. ...
films before being cast in the film, would later star in non comedic roles in films such as horror thriller ''
La Cabina () is a 1972 Spanish television film directed by Antonio Mercero, and written by himself and José Luis Garci, starring José Luis López Vázquez. It first aired on 13 December 1972 on . In the 35-minute film, a man becomes trapped in a telephon ...
'' (1972).


Censorship

While writing the screenplay for ''El Bosque del Lobo'', writer/director Olea was forced to tone down the novel's more explicit violence and negative portrayal of religion in order to avoid possible censorship, stating in an interview with Nuestro cine that, criticism had to be 'more indirect, subterranean, more through the tone of the films than the concrete situations they reflect'. In spite of this, the film was subject to censorship and was denounced by Spanish critics for its perceived
anti-religious Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe oppos ...
message and its denouncement of Spanish society of the time. It also received minor controversy when Admiral Carrero Blanco tried to prohibit the film from being released, after viewing the film in a
private screening A public screening is the showing of moving pictures, sporting events, and music concerts to an audience in a public place. The event screened may be live or recorded, free or paid, and may use film, video, or a broadcast method such as satellit ...
.
Film historian The history of film chronicles the development of a visual art, visual art form created using history of film technology, film technologies that began in the late 19th century. The advent of film as an artistic medium is not clearly defined. Th ...
Román Gubern stated that "while the censors allowed the screening of graphic 'bloodsheds performed by British and Spanish Draculas', ''El Bosque del Lobo'' was made more palatable by severely softening the depiction of violence and brutality, therefore neutralizing the critique contained in the novel's 'study of criminal anthropology'".


Release


Theatrical release

''El Bosque del Lobo'' premiered at the
Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
in April 1970. The film was later screened in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
at the
Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
in November 1971. It was later released theatrically in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
on April 22, 1971. It was a critical and commercial success upon its initial release. The film was later screened on August 10, 2012; as a part of a tribute to writer/director Olea organized by the Concello de A Bola and the Vicente Risco Foundation.


Critical response and legacy

Modern reassessment of ''El bosque del lobo'' has been mostly positive, with critics now praising López Vázquez's performance and Olea's direction. In their book ''Performance and Spanish Film''; authors Dean Allbritton, Alejandro Flórez Melero, and Tom Whittaker praised Vázquez's performance, writing, "In dramatically reshaping his usual intonation and diction for the role, López Vázquez's voice becomes snarling and inarticulate. His ramshackle appearance was as much of a radical departure as his vocal performance". The film was not without its detractors. Antonio Méndez from ''AlohaCriticón.com'' gave the film a negative review, writing, "It could be interesting, but the plot is poor, it lacks strength, it has a love subframe and it sins of a scarce psychological treatment that focuses more on superfluous facts than on the sickly and interior emphasis of its characters." The critical and commercial success of ''El bosque del lobo'', brought widespread attention to director Olea, who would later go on to direct a series of films which included the 1992 adaption '' El maestro de esgrima'' (''The Fencing Master'') which received and
Oscar nomination The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
for
Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
.


Accolades


References

Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * *


Notes


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancines Woods 1970 films 1970s horror drama films 1970 horror films 1970s serial killer films Drama films based on actual events Horror films based on actual events Films based on Spanish novels Films directed by Pedro Olea Films set in the 19th century Films shot in Spain Spanish serial killer films Spanish horror drama films 1970s Spanish-language films Spanish werewolf films 1970 drama films 1970s Spanish films