Al sur de Granada
Encyclopedia
Al sur de Granada is a 2003
film
written and directed by Fernando Colomo
, based on the book
by Gerald Brenan
. Goode stars as Brenan, a demobilized soldier
who in 1919 rents a house for a year in a village in Alpujarra.
Colomo was inspired to make the film after seeing the character of Brenan appear in another film: Carrington
, about Dora Carrington
. In that film, Carrington was played by Emma Thompson
and Brenan by Samuel West
.
Matthew Goode did not know who Brenan was upon taking the role, since Brenan is more familiar to the Spanish than the English. Goode did not speak Spanish
, but read Brenan's biography and learned to imitate the phonetic sounds of Spanish.
. He collapses from dysentery
and soon learns that the local cacique, Don Fernando, is leaving for Granada
with his wife. Brenan rents Fernando’s house for a year and soon enlists the services of María as housekeeper and cook and becomes friends with a local man named Paco. Brenan spends most of his time reading, walking, and trying to write poetry.
His friends Dora Carrington
, Lytton Strachey
(who is ill), and Ralph Partridge visit for a couple of days. Brenan, who has been maintaining a correspondence with Carrington, learns during the visit that Partridge and Carrington are engaged. He is crushed, as he had been in love with Carrington.
One day, Carrington decides to paint the portrait of a local 16-year old girl, Juliana. Brenan, who had previously seen Juliana bathing naked in a river, falls in love with her. Paco gives him advice on how to win her heart. Brenan, who is quickly learning Spanish
and who is called “Don Geraldo” by the locals, decides to make Juliana jealous by accompanying Ángeles, the daughter of María, to church. This backfires, as María now wishes for Brenan to marry Ángeles. Brenan then enlists the services of Juliana as a second housekeeper. Juliana, however, clashes with María. María believes Juliana and her mother are witches. María has a baby: it is Don Fernando’s baby. Brenan is still unable to get close to Juliana and now has two angry women in his home. María sends a naked Ángeles to Brenan’s bed in order to seduce him, but Brenan refuses to sleep with her. As the women continue to fight, Brenan becomes increasingly frustrated, and finally kicks María out of his home (at gunpoint). He and Juliana then finally embark on a relationship. When Ralph Partridge visits again, this time with his new fiancée, Brenan and Juliana join him on a day trip to the beach. Juliana feels that Brenan and Partridge are laughing at her.
When Brenan leaves for Granada with his friends, he fears that Juliana will cheat on him in anger. He asks Paco to watch over her to prevent any of the village boys from seducing her. While Brenan is gone, Paco and Juliana sleep with one another. Brenan is angered when he discovers this, but Juliana convinces him that she still wishes to have Brenan’s child, regardless of whether they are married or not. They resume their relationship and soon Juliana is pregnant. When Brenan is required to return to England temporarily, Juliana fears that he will never return and that she will have to give birth to, and raise, their child alone.
Brenan returns three years later. He is now married to Gamel Woolsey
, an American poet. Paco announces he will sell his property to fulfill his dream of immigrating to Buenos Aires
. He inquires after Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington. Lytton has died, and Carrington has committed suicide
as a result. Juliana’s child, Elena (named after Brenan’s mother Helen) is now three. She reproves Brenan for not returning to Yegen earlier, but in the end allows him to take their child to be educated and looked after.
The film then fast forwards twenty years. An older Juliana runs into Brenan, Gamel, and a teenaged Elena outside of a pastry shop. Brenan begins to introduce Juliana as Elena’s real mother, but Juliana cuts him off and introduces herself to Elena as Brenan’s former housekeeper at Yegen. Brenan and Juliana part ways rather quickly but catch each other glancing over their shoulders and share a smile.
in 2003 and won one (Mejor música original) for Juan Bardem's score.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
written and directed by Fernando Colomo
Fernando Colomo
Fernando Colomo , is a Spanish film producer, screenwriter and film director. He has acted in small roles in his films and others.- Filmography :*1973 Mañana llega el presidente *1974 En un país imaginario...
, based on the book
South from Granada (book)
South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village is an autobiographical book by Gerald Brenan, first published in 1957.Brenan, a fringe member of the Bloomsbury Group, lived in the Alpujarras region of Andalusia in the 1920s. The book is an example of travel literature, mixing autobiography...
by Gerald Brenan
Gerald Brenan
Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE was a British writer and Hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain.He is best known for The Spanish Labyrinth, a historical work on the background to the Spanish Civil War, and for South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village...
. Goode stars as Brenan, a demobilized soldier
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who in 1919 rents a house for a year in a village in Alpujarra.
Colomo was inspired to make the film after seeing the character of Brenan appear in another film: Carrington
Carrington (film)
Carrington is a biographical film written and directed by Christopher Hampton about the life of the English painter Dora Carrington , who was known simply as "Carrington"...
, about Dora Carrington
Dora Carrington
Dora de Houghton Carrington , known generally as Carrington, was a British painter and decorative artist, remembered in part for her association with members of the Bloomsbury Group, especially the writer Lytton Strachey....
. In that film, Carrington was played by Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
and Brenan by Samuel West
Samuel West
Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
.
Matthew Goode did not know who Brenan was upon taking the role, since Brenan is more familiar to the Spanish than the English. Goode did not speak Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but read Brenan's biography and learned to imitate the phonetic sounds of Spanish.
Plot
Brenan arrives at Yegen on foot, interrupting the funeral held for the daughter of the local caciqueCacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
. He collapses from dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
and soon learns that the local cacique, Don Fernando, is leaving for Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
with his wife. Brenan rents Fernando’s house for a year and soon enlists the services of María as housekeeper and cook and becomes friends with a local man named Paco. Brenan spends most of his time reading, walking, and trying to write poetry.
His friends Dora Carrington
Dora Carrington
Dora de Houghton Carrington , known generally as Carrington, was a British painter and decorative artist, remembered in part for her association with members of the Bloomsbury Group, especially the writer Lytton Strachey....
, Lytton Strachey
Lytton Strachey
Giles Lytton Strachey was a British writer and critic. He is best known for establishing a new form of biography in which psychological insight and sympathy are combined with irreverence and wit...
(who is ill), and Ralph Partridge visit for a couple of days. Brenan, who has been maintaining a correspondence with Carrington, learns during the visit that Partridge and Carrington are engaged. He is crushed, as he had been in love with Carrington.
One day, Carrington decides to paint the portrait of a local 16-year old girl, Juliana. Brenan, who had previously seen Juliana bathing naked in a river, falls in love with her. Paco gives him advice on how to win her heart. Brenan, who is quickly learning Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and who is called “Don Geraldo” by the locals, decides to make Juliana jealous by accompanying Ángeles, the daughter of María, to church. This backfires, as María now wishes for Brenan to marry Ángeles. Brenan then enlists the services of Juliana as a second housekeeper. Juliana, however, clashes with María. María believes Juliana and her mother are witches. María has a baby: it is Don Fernando’s baby. Brenan is still unable to get close to Juliana and now has two angry women in his home. María sends a naked Ángeles to Brenan’s bed in order to seduce him, but Brenan refuses to sleep with her. As the women continue to fight, Brenan becomes increasingly frustrated, and finally kicks María out of his home (at gunpoint). He and Juliana then finally embark on a relationship. When Ralph Partridge visits again, this time with his new fiancée, Brenan and Juliana join him on a day trip to the beach. Juliana feels that Brenan and Partridge are laughing at her.
When Brenan leaves for Granada with his friends, he fears that Juliana will cheat on him in anger. He asks Paco to watch over her to prevent any of the village boys from seducing her. While Brenan is gone, Paco and Juliana sleep with one another. Brenan is angered when he discovers this, but Juliana convinces him that she still wishes to have Brenan’s child, regardless of whether they are married or not. They resume their relationship and soon Juliana is pregnant. When Brenan is required to return to England temporarily, Juliana fears that he will never return and that she will have to give birth to, and raise, their child alone.
Brenan returns three years later. He is now married to Gamel Woolsey
Gamel Woolsey
Gamel Woolsey was an American poet and novelist.-Life:Woolsey was born on the Breeze Hill plantation in Aiken, South Carolina, as Elizabeth Gammell Woolsey, but in later years took her middle name, which she shortened to "Gamel" .Her father was plantation owner William Walter Woolsey...
, an American poet. Paco announces he will sell his property to fulfill his dream of immigrating to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. He inquires after Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington. Lytton has died, and Carrington has committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
as a result. Juliana’s child, Elena (named after Brenan’s mother Helen) is now three. She reproves Brenan for not returning to Yegen earlier, but in the end allows him to take their child to be educated and looked after.
The film then fast forwards twenty years. An older Juliana runs into Brenan, Gamel, and a teenaged Elena outside of a pastry shop. Brenan begins to introduce Juliana as Elena’s real mother, but Juliana cuts him off and introduces herself to Elena as Brenan’s former housekeeper at Yegen. Brenan and Juliana part ways rather quickly but catch each other glancing over their shoulders and share a smile.
Cast
- Matthew GoodeMatthew GoodeMatthew William Goode is an English actor. His notable films have included Match Point, Watchmen, Brideshead Revisited, Leap Year, Imagine Me and You and A Single Man.-Early life:...
as Gerald BrenanGerald BrenanEdward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE was a British writer and Hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain.He is best known for The Spanish Labyrinth, a historical work on the background to the Spanish Civil War, and for South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village... - Verónica SánchezVerónica SánchezVerónica Sánchez Calderón is a Spanish actress. She made her debut in theatre in 1996, and came to media attention as Eva Capdevila in the Telecinco series Los Serrano in 2003. Sánchez has since developed a successful film career...
as Juliana - James FleetJames FleetJames Edward Fleet is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC situation comedy television series The Vicar of Dibley.-Personal life:Fleet...
as Lytton StracheyLytton StracheyGiles Lytton Strachey was a British writer and critic. He is best known for establishing a new form of biography in which psychological insight and sympathy are combined with irreverence and wit... - Jessica Kate Meyer as Dora CarringtonDora CarringtonDora de Houghton Carrington , known generally as Carrington, was a British painter and decorative artist, remembered in part for her association with members of the Bloomsbury Group, especially the writer Lytton Strachey....
- Guillermo ToledoGuillermo ToledoGuillermo Toledo or Willy Toledo is a Spanish film and television actor.In 2008 he played in a Spanish commercial for the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, in a series of commercials that also featured Mr...
as Paco - Consuelo Trujillo as María
- Bebe RebolledoBebe (entertainer)Bebe is a Spanish singer and actress.-Biography:Bebe was born María Nieves Rebolledo Vila in Valencia de Alcántara, Spain. Her parents were members of the Extremaduran folk group Surberina...
as Ángeles - Ángela MolinaÁngela MolinaÁngela Molina is a Spanish actress, and a daughter of Antonio Molina, Spanish singer and actor.Molina studied dance and theater art in the Escuela Superior de Madrid. She rose to international prominence after starring in Luis Buñuel's last movie That Obscure Object of Desire...
as Doña Felicidad - Antonio ResinesAntonio ResinesAntonio Fernández Resines is an award-winning Spanish film and television actor.- Selected filmography :*La dama boba .*Otros días vendrán ....
as Don Virgilio - Laurence FoxLaurence FoxLaurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis...
as Ralph Partridge - Sandra Wahlbeck as Gamel WoolseyGamel WoolseyGamel Woolsey was an American poet and novelist.-Life:Woolsey was born on the Breeze Hill plantation in Aiken, South Carolina, as Elizabeth Gammell Woolsey, but in later years took her middle name, which she shortened to "Gamel" .Her father was plantation owner William Walter Woolsey...
Critical reception
It was nominated for eleven Goya AwardsGoya Awards
The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....
in 2003 and won one (Mejor música original) for Juan Bardem's score.