Live Flesh (Carne trémula) (1997)
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79% of critics liked it
(39 reviews) -
86% of users liked it
(12,981 ratings)
This Pedro Almodóvar melodrama examines how several lives are changed by a single gunshot. Adapting the novel Live Flesh by British mystery author Ruth Rendell, Almodóvar has given the material a Spanish makeover with added political thrust. Beginning in 1970 in Franco's Madrid, when a… More This Pedro Almodóvar melodrama examines how several lives are changed by a single gunshot. Adapting the novel Live Flesh by British mystery author Ruth Rendell, Almodóvar has given the material a Spanish makeover with added political thrust. Beginning in 1970 in Franco's Madrid, when a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) gives birth to a son, Victor, the story leaps forward to contemporary Madrid. Wealthy diplomat's daughter Elena (Francesca Neri) is watching Luis Buńuel's The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de La Cruz (1955) while waiting for the arrival of her heroin dealer, and she buzzes Victor (Liberto Rabal) (with whom she made a date, then forgot about him) into the building. In the confusion that follows, two cops, David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho) arrive, and a gun goes off. The story then makes another leap to four years later: Victor is in prison, while Elena, no longer on drugs, runs a disadvantaged children's shelter and is married to wheelchair-bound David. After his release, Victor visits his mother's grave and spots David and Elena at the cemetery -- where David meets philandering wife Clara (Angela Molina). Fate interweaves the tangled interrelationships of all into a complex tapestry of destiny and guilt. Shown at 1997 London and New York film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Directed By
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Written By
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Jan 16, 1998 Wide
- Studio
- Goldwyn Films
Critic Reviews
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The overall purpose of Live Flesh, the latest and reputedly most 'mature' work from Spanish bad-boy director Pedro Almodovar, remains engigmatic.
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Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle
Almodovar seems more assured here, confident that he can interest us without overt winking and tomfoolery.
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David Denby, New York Magazine
Despite his erotic fixations, Pedro Almodóvar is the cinema's last true innocent.
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David Noh, Film Journal International
The film also feels curiously underpopulated, unenlivened by any sparky character bits.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Very much an Almodovar picture with most of the anticipated outrageous occurrences intact.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Javier Bardem
as David
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Francesca Neri
as Elena
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Liberto Rabal
as Victor
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Ángela Molina
as Clara
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José Sancho
as Sancho
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Penelope Cruz
as Isabelle
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Pilar Bardem
as Dona Centro
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Álex Angulo
as Bus Driver
