# 76 of 101 Great Films -The Spirit of the Beehive

A note before i start,  On April 27, my home town was hit by a F4 tornado killing 43 and causing massive destruction, and for awhile a self- indulgent blog....Now my city is getting better, still has a ways to go but I have no doubt Tuscaloosa will be fine.
So back to my .........

I love movies!- Oh wait I've already said that, you know what

I am saying it again!!!

I LOVE MOVIES- I stated earlier that I've seen a 1,000 films, to check that - I've been collecting a database of films I've seen and ones to see,( I know I'm a dweeb!)

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# 76 of 101 Great Films:

1973's The Spirit of the Beehive

Victor Erice’s 1973 film is set in a small village in Spain, 

Right before the start of World War II and after the Spanish Civil War which put Francisco Franco in power. 

Director Victor Erice made Beehive at the end of Franco’s authoritarian regime.

 Erice does a masterful job of telling a simple story about two girls 

and their closed (in both the literal & metaphorical sense)  village, while setting the story  up as an analogy for authoritarian rule of  Franco’s Spain, which was easier to make since Franco’s power was waning.

The above ground plot deals with 2  girls who go to the movies and watch James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein.  After the movie, the older of the 2 tells the other that the spirit of the Monster lives in their village, and with that we have another analogy, the importance of cinema on a society.

The girl’s village gets much of its life and certainly its escape from the movies, while having to conform to the strict, oppressive and hypocritical regime of Franco, just to sustain a meager livelihood.

The Spirit of the Beehive maybe  one of Spain’s  best films, it unfolds with a wild and high-flown, playfulness even when it is surrounded by despair. The film could very easily turn into a overblown melodrama but Erice does a great job of holding that balance but letting the magic escape on screen while keeping it grounded.

                         
                                                                                                         A video exhibit for The Spirit of the Beehive

101 Great Films: 

101 One False Move, 1989

100 Friends of Eddie Coyle, 1974

99 Tampopo, 1987

98 The Thing, 1956

97 Nanook of the North, 1922

96 The Battle of Algiers, 1966

95  The Third Man, 1945

94 Au Revoir Les Enfants, 1988

93 Meshes of the Afternoon, 1943

92  Alien, 1979,

91 Young Frankenstein, 1974

90  Bull Durham, 1988   

89  Los Olvidados, 1950

88 Two-Lane Black top, 1971 

87 Ace in the Hole, 1951 

86   Metropolis,1926

85 Killer of sheep, 1977 

84 Bad day at Black rock, 1955

83 My darling Clementine, 1946

82 Le Samourai, 1967 France,

81 Thrones of Blood, 1957, 

80 Broadcast news, 1987 

79  Delicatessen, 1991   

                                                    78 Slacker, 1991                                                          

 77 Steamboat Bill Jr. 1928 

76 The Spirit of the Beehive, 1973