`THE GRANDFATHER' A RICH, SATISFYING TREAT.Byline: Marla Matzer Staff Writer Nominated for an Oscar this year for Best Foreign Language Film, ``The Grandfather (El Abuelo)'' is a gorgeously shot, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind us to our loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl . In some ways, it resembles other European period films that explore the lives of upper-class people learning about life, but its humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was , passion and accessibility make it a standout. As the film opens, an elderly nobleman (Fernando Fernan-Gomez) is returning to his Spanish village after a failed business venture in Peru. The Count of Albrit has not only been left penniless pen·ni·less adj. 1. Entirely without money. 2. Very poor. See Synonyms at poor. pen  ni·less·ly adv. , but is
losing his sight and has lost his only son.
One of the few things the son left his father was an unfinished letter, in which he claimed that one of his daughters - the Count's granddaughter - is not really his. He says his wife, the beautiful Lucrecia Richmond (Cayetana Guillen Cuervo), had an affair with an artist, who fathered one of the two girls. The Count's son, though, didn't finish the letter before he died. The old man bitterly confronts his daughter-in-law and demands to know which of the pretty and bright young girls is not of his ``blood.'' She refuses to tell him, and conspires with others in the village to send the Count to live in a nearby monastery monastery Local community or residence of a religious order, particularly an order of monks. Christian monasteries originally developed in Egypt, where the monks first lived as isolated hermits and then began to coalesce in communal groups. to get him out of their lives. The count escapes, though, and confronts the ungrateful townspeople who tried to get rid of him. He reminds them of the times he helped their families over the years. The only villager who is a loyal friend to the Count is the girls' teacher, Coronado (Rafael Alonso). Coronado is a widower widower n. a man whose wife died while he was married to her and has not remarried. WIDOWER. A man whose wife is dead. A widower has a right to administer to his wife's separate estate, and as her administrator to collect debts due to her, generally for with six daughters who are just waiting for him to die so they can inherit To receive property according to the state laws of intestate succession from a decedent who has failed to execute a valid will, or, where the term is applied in a more general sense, to receive the property of a decedent by will. inherit v. the house. It is he, in the end, who makes the Count understand that love is what matters; though we should respect those who deserve it, honor and blood ties alone mean nothing. The Count never discovers which of the girls is his ``real'' granddaughter. But this revelation of the power of love is what makes him happy in the end - and one of the things that makes ``The Grandfather'' a rich and satisfying film. The facts The film: ``The Grandfather (El Abuelo)'' (PG; some mild language). In Spanish, with English subtitles sub·ti·tle n. 1. A secondary, usually explanatory title, as of a literary work. 2. A printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film shown at the bottom of the screen. tr.v. . The stars: Fernando Fernan-Gomez, Rafael Alonso, Cayetana Guillen Cuervo. Behind the scenes: Directed by Jose Luis Garci. Produced by Luis Maria Delgado and Valentin Panero. Written by Jose Luis Garci and Haracio Valcarcel. Running time: Two hours, 15 minutes. Playing: Laemmle's Music Hall, Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. Our rating: Three and one half stars CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Fernando Fernan-Gomez is a once-proud nobleman who discovers the true value of family ties in ``The Grandfather.'' |
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