Directed by:
Emilio Martínez LázaroScreenplay:
Ignacio Martínez de PisónCinematography:
José Luis AlcaineComposer:
Roque BañosCast:
Pilar López de Ayala, Verónica Sánchez, Gabriella Pession, Marta Etura, Nadia de Santiago, Teresa Hurtado de Ory, Bárbara Lennie, Goya Toledo (more)Plots(1)
Emilio Martinez-Lazaro's historical drama Las 13 Rosas (AKA 13 Roses) commences in 1939 Madrid. As the forces of nationalist general Francisco Franco sweep down into the city and bombs cascade onto Spanish buildings, two Republicans - Red Cross employee Virtudes (Marta Etura) and streetcar attendant Julia (Veronica Sanchez) - sit in a club watching a live set by two musicians: the Communist Canepa (Enrico Lo Verso), and Enrique (Asier Etxeandia), the husband of Blanca (Pilar Lopez de Ayala). Sensing obvious trouble given the country's circumstances, Canepa opts to flee for his life - receiving some fiscal support from Blanca - and a romance blossoms between Julia and Perico (Felix Gomez), a soldier from Franco's forces. Meanwhile, unrest and extreme distrust run rampant among the nationalists. Hungry for scapegoats - despite the lack of conclusive evidence - the troops respond to a rumor about a plot to rub out Franco by rounding up the 13 innocent young women of the title, including Julia, the socialist Adelina (Gabriella Pession) and 11 others - who are collectively imprisoned, given trial and slated for execution for treasonous activity. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
Seen during Challenge Tour 2015: 30 days with world cinema. Film number 12 - Spain. After the film about the Finnish civil war, I chose a film about the Spanish civil war. Starring 13 Spanish roses, 13 delicate and yet strong women who had enough courage to stand up to evil. The first half was very cleverly processed, emanating a suffocating atmosphere, a ubiquitous fear of rapidly advancing danger, and I myself was shaken by concerns about what the heroines would be exposed to. The second half seems to jump into a completely different genre, the viewer breathes a sigh of relief, the atmosphere seemingly relaxes, but only so that we can gather energy for the tragic finale. The final scenes really touched me and the very end brought tears to my eyes. The Spanish have dealt with this sad historical event in film with great honor.
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Photo © Pedro Costa Producciones Cinematográficas S.A.
