Review of Bigas Luna: Box Set

Introduction

Bigas Luna turns out the sort of movies that Freud would have admired had he lived long enough to see them. Occasionally oblique and surreal, without quite descending into dark Lynch-like territory, they invariably deal with the human situation, with sexuality defined as the primary motivational force for all the narrative. In the interviews contained in the set there seems to be little doubt that Luna believes that he is merely reflecting a commonly denied reality, and admits to there being a large autobiographical element to these filmic fantasies. Whatever the case, this set holds together four movies that, when viewed in succession, reveal many common themes and strands, as well as a unique atmosphere and feel. Maybe they set out to shock to a degree, and they certainly share a cheeky, ribald sense of fun, though they also share a slightly melancholy despair as relationships inevitably crumble under the weight of the participant`s demands. Luna`s world may be one that some of us occupy, though it`s possibly not a world that`s fun for long.

Out of the four films included in the set, I had seen only one previously (Jamon, Jamon) though had made a mental note to catch up with the others when the opportunity arose.


THE AGES OF LULU

First up, and possibly the most controversial, is `Lulu`. The movie opens with a newborn baby getting a talcum powdered dusting following a baptism, though the shot shows the baby`s nether-regions in an almost provocative way, undoubtedly as a prophetic indication of the life that Lulu is destined to lead, though this scene caused plenty of controversy in the UK when the movie was originally released. With additional scenes showing a young and innocent Lulu (now a young women) being shaved (to make her `perfect`), it failed to get a cinema release in Britain at that time, and was issued on VHS with three minutes of cuts in 1998 (mostly to an extensive and fairly debauched S&M orgy sequence towards the end of the movie).

In 2002, a DVD release of the movie deleted the opening scene (under the terms of the Child Protection Act) though this release has the whole original movie intact. In truth, it does make for rather awkward viewing, though I`m sure that this was the Director`s intent. In truth, much of the film makes for rather uncomfortable and awkward viewing as the definition of `consent` is constantly stretched to include some fairly tough persuasion and manipulation. Right through the movie it`s very unclear who is enjoying what.

Loosely, the movie is about a young girl`s sexual awakening, and possibly the corruption of that impulse by others.

As a 15 year old, Lulu (Francesca Neri) spends a night with one of her older brother`s friends, Pablo (Oscar Ladoire) and, after a series of `persuasions`; she loses her virginity to him. When he returns from college they meet up and continue their exploration of the wilder and darker sides of their sexuality. But the path gets darker and darker, culminating in Pablo pushing Lulu into the very darkest corners of the cities sexual undertow.

It`s all superbly played out and the cinematography and direction are masterful, though `Lulu` shares little of the lightness, and surreal humour of the later pictures.
Not for the feint-hearted.

JAMON JAMON

This film proved to be a (relatively) huge success for Luna, and was a well-liked film here in the UK, not least as it introduced us to a completely intoxicating and captivating new starlet, Penelope Cruz, who turns in a bewitching performance in this complex tale of adolescent sexuality.

The film has a surreal lightness (Bunuel has clearly been a tremendous influence here) and though its narrative is gentle and lilting, the film remains captivating enough throughout.

The story (what there is of it) is that Jose Luis (played by Jordi Molla) is having a relationship with the young daughter of a local hooker (Sylvia played by Penelope Cruz). She tells him that she`s pregnant so they decide that they must wed. However, Jose`s Ma, Conchita, who is a manager at a local underwear plant and therefore a pillar of the community, is not happy. So she hires a young man who has been modelling the factory underwear to seduce Sylvia and therefore break up the relationship.

Raul, the young model, also works in a ham factory, and this may well be enough to justify the weird film title `Jamon Jamon`. There are other references too; not least both young men admitting to liking the taste of Sylvia`s breasts, which they claim, taste like ham.

The film is visually stunning, with dream sequences, naked bullfights and some outdoor shots of the young Penelope Cruz looking simply stunning against the summer twilight.

The culmination of the movie (a duel to the death with sides of ham) is as surreal yet believable as the rest of the movie, though once the titles roll you could well be at a loss as to what it was all trying to say. An enjoyable film nonetheless.

THE TIT AND THE MOON

In the accompanying interview for this feature, Luna admits that this film has more than a strand of his own life wrapped in to its bizarre narrative.

It`s difficult to summarise the plot. It`s centrally about a young boy`s preoccupation with breasts and breast-feeding. Denied access to his mother`s breast, as a nine year old (he has a baby brother) he starts to pursue local showgirl Estrellita (Mathilda May) who has recently arrived in the region from France. She and her partner Maurice (Gerard Darmon) have a double-act where she dances, frequently topless, whilst he specialises in thunderous farts. But Tete (the nine year old in question) has competition for Estrellita`s attentions in the form of Miguel, a teenager who sings beautiful flamencos.

Estrellita indulges the young Tete by squirting breast-milk some distance into his hungry mouth.

If it all sounds worryingly strange, then it is, but never quite as bad as it sounds setting it out on paper. There is enough melodrama, humour and action to keep the film entertaining (including some incredible scenes showing Tete attempting to get to the top of a large `human tower` at a local fair).

GOLDEN BALLS

This is a film about naked machismo; the pure aggressive ambition of a single man, and a moralistic comic-tragedy of almost Thomas Hardy proportions. Benito Gonzalez (Javier Bardem) is driven by naked ambition, wanting money, women…and expensive watches.

To get his plans rolling, he marries the wealthy Marta whilst keeping his long-time mistress, Claudia. But things get complex when the two meet and the tissue of lies become exposed.

As Benito has two balls, he feels he has the right to two of everything else, including women and watches. (He`s everything Luna hates in a man and he`s played out in extreme here for full humorous effect). As Benito becomes a man of means, his life becomes more complex and by the time he gets his just desserts it`s extremely hard to feel anything but smug satisfaction - probably the intended result.

Video

The whole set is nicely rendered here, with near flawless transfers that do some justice to the often sublime cinematography. GOLDEN BALLS is a 2.40:1 anamorphically enhanced transfer. `AGES OF LULU` is another very fine transfer, at an aspect ratio of 1.66:1. This is a dark film shot darkly though this transfer holds the blacks (crushed here) remarkably well. JAMON JAMON is also in anamprphically enhanced 1.66:1 and this new transfer is virtually flawless. THE TIT AND THE MOON is a 2.40:1 anamorphically enhanced transfer, again high quality with little or no signs of wear. All in all - a first class set.

Audio

Only `Golden Balls` has a choice of soundtracks (all the others stick to Dolby 2.0) with a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1 option. I viewed the movie in DTS 5.1 and found this to be a satisfying though unremarkable use of the split, with only very occasional unique use of the rears for example. The remaining three movies were output in perfectly respectable Dolby 2.0.

Features

The extras are a little disappointing with no audio commentaries on any of the discs (Luna`s English is poor). Two of the discs have interviews with Luna, filmed from below with a wobbly camera slightly slowed and blurred in post, possibly to be `arty`. It just irritates, though Luna does offer some very clear explanation of his art in an unpretentious and honest way. It would have been nice to have seen and heard more, though preferably with the camera put back on the tripod and the blurring effect removed. The only other extras are original trailers and on `The Tit and the Moon` there are some trailers for other movies too.

Conclusion

Bigas Luna has made a huge impact in his native Spain since moving into serious directing in the late 1970`s. He comes from a tradition in Spanish film-making that has a direct lineage to Luis Bunuel and that influence is felt in every frame of the four movies included in this set.

That`s not to say that Luna hasn`t found his own voice, he has, and these four films provide plenty of evidence of that. Luna`s world is a slightly off-kilter, ultra-naïve one that touches surrealism and yet never quite leaves reality. Each of the movies is steeped in the mysteries of the human condition and in particular the compulsive sexual drive that fuels most the narratives.

Of the four movies, `The Ages of Lulu` is the least comfortable to view and to some degree remains the odd one out. It shares none of the lightness and humour of `Golden Balls`, `The Tit and the Moon` and `Jamon Jamon` and may upset the easily offended.

There`s no doubt that Bigas Luna has created some of the most intriguing movies of the last two decades, and it`s remarkable that films of this depth and this level of personal exploration get made at all (particularly so well made with some substantial production value). In a world of unimaginative Hollywood sequels and remakes it`s something to be thankful for. Help the cause and buy this set!