Marcos Zurinaga's thriller about the assassination of the great Spanish poet-playwright Federico Garcia Lorca is ambitious in its conception and execution, boasts a impressive international cast, and deals with a heretofore unexamined and fascinating topic.
But "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca" fumbles badly, suffering from awkward structure, unsatisfying script and direction and unsuccessful performances. As it lapses into 1940s-style melodrama by the time it finally reaches its conclusion, one half-expects Humphrey Bogart or Jimmy Cagney to appear and save the day; alas, they never do.
Andy Garcia plays the title role of Federico Garcia Lorca, but the story mainly revolves around young Ricardo Fernandez (Esai Morales), whom we first see as a young boy who has a life-changing encounter with Lorca in 1936 after a performance of the celebrated writer's "Yerma". The scene then shifts to 1954: Ricardo is now a journalist living and working in San Juan, Puerto Rico, obsessed with finding out exactly how his idol was murdered. Against his father's objections, he returns to Spain to investigate.
There he encounters a wide gallery of friends and foes, although those classifications are ever-changeable. Among the former are a friendly cab driver (Giancarlo Giannini) who miraculously appears everywhere Ricardo goes, and the beautiful Maria (Marcela Walerstein), the beautiful daughter of family friend Col. Aguirre (Jeroen Krabbe). The latter include mysterious figures who may or may not have figured in Lorca's death, including a security officer for Franco's forces (Miguel Ferrer) and a mysterious former politician Edward James Olmos) now living in Madrid.
The story shifts, in jarring fashion, back and forth between Ricardo's increasingly dangerous inquiries and the events of 1936 when Lorca is harassed by dictator Francisco Franco's fascist forces.
Despite a moving and impressive portrayal of the poet by Garcia, we never fully get to know the character, and historical context is at a minimum. The segments involving Ricardo are even less satisfying; the filmmakers have attempted to create a harrowing political thriller, but the wildly unconvincing script and performances simply don't come off, with sometimes laughable results.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GARCIA LORCA
Triumph Releasing
Director-producer Marcos Zurinaga
Exec producers Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz
Producer Enrique Cerezo
Screenplay Marcos Zurinaga,
Juan Antonio Ramos, Neil Cohen
Director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia
Editor Carole Kravetz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ricardo Esai Morales
Lozano Edward James Olmos
Federico Garcia Lorca Andy Garcia
Col. Aguirre Jeroen Krabbe
Taxi driver Giancarlo Giannini
Centeno Miguel Ferrer
Maria Eugenia Marcela Walerstein
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
But "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca" fumbles badly, suffering from awkward structure, unsatisfying script and direction and unsuccessful performances. As it lapses into 1940s-style melodrama by the time it finally reaches its conclusion, one half-expects Humphrey Bogart or Jimmy Cagney to appear and save the day; alas, they never do.
Andy Garcia plays the title role of Federico Garcia Lorca, but the story mainly revolves around young Ricardo Fernandez (Esai Morales), whom we first see as a young boy who has a life-changing encounter with Lorca in 1936 after a performance of the celebrated writer's "Yerma". The scene then shifts to 1954: Ricardo is now a journalist living and working in San Juan, Puerto Rico, obsessed with finding out exactly how his idol was murdered. Against his father's objections, he returns to Spain to investigate.
There he encounters a wide gallery of friends and foes, although those classifications are ever-changeable. Among the former are a friendly cab driver (Giancarlo Giannini) who miraculously appears everywhere Ricardo goes, and the beautiful Maria (Marcela Walerstein), the beautiful daughter of family friend Col. Aguirre (Jeroen Krabbe). The latter include mysterious figures who may or may not have figured in Lorca's death, including a security officer for Franco's forces (Miguel Ferrer) and a mysterious former politician Edward James Olmos) now living in Madrid.
The story shifts, in jarring fashion, back and forth between Ricardo's increasingly dangerous inquiries and the events of 1936 when Lorca is harassed by dictator Francisco Franco's fascist forces.
Despite a moving and impressive portrayal of the poet by Garcia, we never fully get to know the character, and historical context is at a minimum. The segments involving Ricardo are even less satisfying; the filmmakers have attempted to create a harrowing political thriller, but the wildly unconvincing script and performances simply don't come off, with sometimes laughable results.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GARCIA LORCA
Triumph Releasing
Director-producer Marcos Zurinaga
Exec producers Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz
Producer Enrique Cerezo
Screenplay Marcos Zurinaga,
Juan Antonio Ramos, Neil Cohen
Director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia
Editor Carole Kravetz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ricardo Esai Morales
Lozano Edward James Olmos
Federico Garcia Lorca Andy Garcia
Col. Aguirre Jeroen Krabbe
Taxi driver Giancarlo Giannini
Centeno Miguel Ferrer
Maria Eugenia Marcela Walerstein
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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