MovieChat Forums > Balada triste de trompeta (2010) Discussion > WORST SPANISH MOVIE I'VE SEEN IN YEARS

WORST SPANISH MOVIE I'VE SEEN IN YEARS

posted 13 years ago by betom64
32 replies | jump to latest

God, i wish i haven't wasted my time with this. I can't lie i had high hopes for this film, since being directed by the often great Alex de la Iglesia. After the 10 first minutes i was already dissapointed.

It's the movie, it's pretentious beyond limits. The cheap use of the civil war metaphor is already been used too many times (in far better films like Cria Cuervos y El Espiritu de la Colmena). The acting is plain bad, EVEN if it was the point of the movie there's a thin line between the grotesque/grand guinol and the PLAIN BAD PERFORMANCES. The two leads, the sad clown and the whore are PAINFUL to watch. Nobody can relate to such tragic and boring characters. Too bad for the other actor, who comes from Gordos and Volver fame, to be paired with such a bad cast.

..and what about the plot? or the lack of, i must say. The story starts too soon and ends too early. It draws too much and in the end, there wasn't anything worthy to say. I

The dissapointing comes from the director itself. We see references/homages/ripoffs from Tarantino to Jodorowsky, but itself lacks an autor signature. Alex de la Iglesia was such a promise back time, with really good films like Accion Mutante and La Comunidad, but for every good film he directed such crappy films like Perdita Durango or The Oxford Murders.

Stay away from this film.

[–] SeamusMcFlurry 12 years ago

I don't know what you're talking about, this movie was HILARIOUS! That fat clown totally lost his *beep*

[–] hadmatter 12 years ago

One of the most entertaining films I've seen in a while. I couldn't look away! Sorry it made you so upset, but I thought is was a gorgeous movie with a captivating story and an ending that I will never forget.

I am the sod-off shotgun.

[–] kroby 12 years ago

I don't usually like violent movies but this is one of the best movies of recent years. Unbelievable imagery...Brilliant..!!

[–] DethbyHashi 12 years ago

Here's a tip for you: Anytime you see a movie that just isn't what you wanted it to be, don't write a "WORST MOVIE EVER" Review. When you say a movie is the worst movie ever you better have some serious and irrefutable points to make. Sweet job on the epic fail.

Last Movies Seen:
The Silent House (2010) 6/10
The Last Circus (2010) 7/10
Hatchet II (2010) 6/10
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 8/10
Night of the Demon (1980 ultra violent Bigfoot movie) 8/10

[–] FriedGarbanzos 12 years ago

The plot actually makes perfect sense and there are no holes in it whatsoever. The only transition that is rather abrupt and seems to come out of nowhere is when Sergio forces the stuntman to reveal where the animals where being kept and thus where Javier was. The animals seemed to have been magically moved and hidden in the caves beneath the church that was built by Javier's father and other prisoners, whose bones are still piled up there.

The movie is an allegory for the struggle between fascist and republican (revolutionary) forces during Franco's regime in Spain. Sergio, the happy clown, represents fascism while Javier, the sad clown, represents the revolutionary forces. Natalia represents Spain itself. The other circus people are the other non-involved people of Spain who watch the struggle with dismay and become victims of collateral damage. Javier is driven by his father's instruction to seek revenge. But Javier turns into as much a monster as Sergio and in the process Spain (Natalia) is destroyed. In the end, the morale of the story is that revenge is not the answer.

One problem with the movie is that the subtitles are really not that good. Sometimes they go by too fast and often they are not very accurate. I speak Spanish and I could tell that many subtle details were not reflected in the subtitles.

Other than this, the movie is a top notch production in almost all aspects (one exception: the car explosion special effect was rather bad). The plot moves very fast with very quick transitions in places so I would suggest you watch the movie again and see if you can keep up with the plot.

[–] mrstevo75 12 years ago

Wasn't all I had hoped for. Was expecting something really special from the trailer. I must say the first 45 minutes were captivating but it seemed to fall apart for me a little bit in the second half with some of the over the top antics. All and all I did enjoy it though. 7 out of 10. Solid.

[–] madscientist2787 12 years ago

Well, to each his own. This kind of thing obviously isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea, but all really worked for me. I found it violent, funny and beautiful. Yes, the characters aren't super fleshed out and three-dimensional, but that seemed to be on purpose - they are symbols. Yes, there are obvious influences from other directors and films (I don't really see the Tarantino connection, although I will agree that there's a lot of Jodorowsky, Fellini, and Almodovar in this film). However, I think the director Iglesias' voice still comes through and makes it his own.

I don't think your argument against it being about the Spanish Civil War is a very good one, though. I mean, should Americans stop making films about WWII because The Bridge on the River Kwai (or whatever your favorite WWII film is) was so good? That's a really dumb argument.

[–] denise1234 12 years ago

Yes.

It's not about whether they use 'creepy clowns' or not, but what they do with them.

It's not about whether they use war analogies or not, but what they do with them.

And so forth.

And, hate to break some hearts here, but even Tarantino, Fellini, etc., are not totally original in their works.

"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois

[–] richard-III 12 years ago

What whore? You mean the circus girl Natalia? She wasn't a whore.

"I don't discriminate between entertainment
and arthouse. A film is a goddam film."

[–] betom64 12 years ago

Thank you for your comments but it's still the worst spanish movie i've seen in many, many years.

It's worse than 100 Bullets.

[–] puschit-1 12 years ago

Acting wasn't that bad but the plot was ridiculous and non-existant towards the end. I kept on watching because the first 20 or so minutes were promising and later, when everything went downhill, I was growingly curious how this mess would end. But it just continued getting more random and pointless.