great sparse and poetic movie from one of the unsung masters of spanish cinema: victor Erice. Along with El sur, they may easily be the best spanish movies of the last 30 years. A movie that mixes, childhood, Franco's atrocities and frankenstein in such an unexpected yet touching way. Its symbolism is not of the hermetic kind, but it works in a very understated fashion, so by the end of the movie, there's a palpable sense of melancholy. An obsure little seen masterpiece.

"Every magic hour, light-drenched image in Victor Erice's Spirit of the Beehive is filled with mysterious dread." - Dan Callahan

Subtle, beautiful, elegiac and very touching. I'll also cop to being completely ignorant of the political allegory (I imagine most viewers outside of Spain would be) but it's hardly necessary to enjoy this. It's a beautiful evocation of childhood curiosity and wonderment and features two of the best child performances you'll ever see, along with some gorgeous photography and a fantastic score.

Beautifully meditative, and perfectly captures the wide-eyed astonishment of childhood -- of both the gleeful and the terrifying variety -- in a way that is endearing and original and never cloyingly sentimental. I doubt I'll feel the need to watch it again, but I could see myself being mildly haunted by some of these images.

Some say this is an intensely political allegory, but that was lost on me as I watched it. Reading about it in hindsight, it only serves to make this film even richer than I'd already comprehended. Instead I was focused on its youthful sensibilities. Once convinced by the subtle pace, I was spellbound by its evocation of adolescent wonder and imagination, conveyed through two great performances and brilliant cinematography. Fortunately it remains unsentimental throughout.

204

Evocative, mysterious, atmospheric, and complex symbolic political allegory, but also a beautiful and penetrating investigation of the universe of childhood.

Although it is essentially a critique of Spanish post-war social situation, for me it was mostly a piece about the effect films have on their viewers. Perhaps it wasn't the main theme of the picture (it's certainly not "Peeping Tom"), but that was something that really stood out for me. I was impressed with Erice's depiction of children - the two girls are not afraid of their surroundings after watching "Frankenstein", instead they become more fascinated with the mysterious world around them.

It's like Pan's Labyrinth without all the blah-blah.

20 Temmuz 2011, anna'nin tavsiyesi & ispanya ic savasini ufak bir cocugun gozunden basari ile ortaya koyan bir film. senaryonun kurulusu ve kameranin sakinligi cok basarili. filmin rengi de hem sembolik olarak hem atmosferik olarak filmi tamamliyor. ama yine de filmle aramdaki icsel baglantinin eksik oldugunu hissediyorum. duygusu bana gecmedi. bu nedenle benim acimdan bir basyapit degil.

Blindingly beautiful film loaded to the gills with affective symbolism. Love it.

#226

Captures that childlike wonder and logic which all to often escape other film's depictions of childhood. A haunting yet warmhearted look into a child's first steps into the real world.

This film in being a extremely subtle allegory of the Spanish Civil War offers no touchstone for those of us who do not know much about this period and most of the symbolism went right by me.What I got out of this was a well crafted film with two good performances from the girls, some nice cinematography and a story that I really did not find all that interesting mostly because I did not get said symbolism.

At first this felt like Just Another Period Piece until about a quarter of the way in I realized I genuinely cared about and worried for the characters and could feel my pulse rising and falling along with their predicaments. Isabel and Ana are two of the cutest kids in film history. Erice uses honeycomb windows and train tracks to create some mind-blowing cinematography.

Wonderful film. An excellent depiction of life in post-civil war Spain. The music and photography really are key in establishing the unique feel and mood that makes this film especially brilliant. The acting is great in an understated way, and the two children are particularly effective.

Just fantastic.

A thing of Beauty

Slow, naturalistic pacing, great atmosphere and some incredible photography, it seems like something I would love, and yet, it never clicked with me. Maybe I need to understand the Civil War to get the allegory, but nothing is compelling me do so and rewatch this.

A new experience in life. I am broken and without breath.

Awfully symbolic and Meaningful. But the two little girls are very good--as indeed is the whole cast.

A heartfelt exploration of a child's innocence and self-created world of fantasy, in where abstract mysteries and feelings, dreams and passions are just as important as the resolute things in life. The director, Erice, is giving alot of himself in this film, I think. Spirit of the Beehive feels so intimate and personal in it's tranquil dive into the uknown, from a little child's perspective.

I watched this film without having any knowledge of what it was about, and feel that is the best way to experience it.

a little too much stasis for me but i am amazed at how much the visual design tells the story with so little dialogue. So much left unanswered yet still manages to fill my belly. very abstract.

I now understand why my kumpels love this so much. Great photography, it's gorgeous and there's a score that will blow you away. Run, don't walk, and get this film.