''Elisa, Vida mía'' (English: ''Elisa, My Life'') is a

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

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 ...

film written and directed by

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (4 January 1932 – 10 February 2023) was a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. With Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be among Spain's great filmmakers. He had a long and prolific career th ...

. The film stars Saura's long-term companion and frequent collaborator,

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress whose long career has included multilingual roles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German films. Geraldine is a daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of his eigh ...

. She stars alongside Fernando Rey, who won the Best Actor award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival for his performance.

Plot

On a secluded farmhouse in

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

, Luis is reunited with his estranged daughter, Elisa, after a 20-year separation. On the farmhouse, Luis writes what sometimes appears to be both an autobiography and a novel. The book is played out with memories of the past, such as when Luis walked out on his family and is mixed with fantasies about Elisa's adult life and her failed marriage.Canby, Vincent. ''Film: "Elisa, Vida Mia", pp. 8. The New York Times. 11 March 1983. Retrieved on 30 July 2011

Cast

as Elisa Santamaria/mother of Elisa * Fernando Rey as Luis * Ana Torrent as Elisa as child * Norman Briski as Antonio * Isabel Mestres as Isabel, Elisa's sister *

Joaquín Hinojosa Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodrígue ...

as Julián, Isabel's husband * Arantxa Escamilla as little girl * Jacobo Escamillaa as little boy * Francisco Guijar as the doctor

Reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised Chaplin and Rey; "The main reasons to see the film are the two leading performances. Mr. Rey is always an interesting presence, and Miss Chaplin, as in all of her Saura films, reveals qualities of feeling, control and beauty that no other directors have ever found." Saura was nominated for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

for the film, and won Best Director at Spain's Cinema Writers Circle Awards.Awards for Elisa, vida mia
Retrieved on 30 July

References

External links

* * 1977 films 1970s Spanish-language films 1977 drama films Films set in Spain Films directed by Carlos Saura Spanish drama films 1970s Spanish films Spanish-language drama films {{1970s-Spain-film-stub