DEDICATORIA

Spain, 1981, 100 minutes, Colour.
Jose Luis Gomez, Amparo Munoz, Patricia Adriani, Francisco Casares, Luis Politti.
Directed by Jaime Chavarri.

Dedicatoria is an interesting personal drama directed by Jaime Chavarri, who achieved some international reputation with his 1977 feature To An Unknown God. While Chavarri is conscious of Spain's history in the 20th. century, especially from the Revolution and Civil War through Franco's period, the focus of this film is the '70s. It shows a journalist at work - but the more important theme is his relationship to the man he is seeking to interview, the man's daughter, his editor and the editor's wife. He relates superficially with all of them - but then in depth. The experience changes his life. The film is more optimistic in tone towards its end. Well acted, with an atmosphere of Madrid vividly portrayed and with a range of classical music including Schumann and Schubert and Ravel, the film offers insight into Spanish contemporary society but treats of universal themes.

1. An interesting and persuasive drama? The Spanish background and interest? Universal insight and themes?

2. The Madrid setting - location photography, atmosphere? The Spanish tone of the film? Colour photography?

3. The focus on the characters and their names: the musical references and quotations during the film e.g. Carmen with the overtones of the opera, Juan and the playing of music from Don Giovanni with the echoes of the Don Juan theme, Clara and her relationship with her husband and Juan and the title music from Schumann? The use of the music throughout the film?

4. The plot focus on Luis Falcon: Juan's search for him, knowing him in the past, wanting to interview him, encountering wife and daughter? The goal of Juan's immediate search - but leading him further? The interviews in jail and Juan's reflection on Falcon's experience as a hunter, as a husband. leaving his family for six months with Juan covering up? Life in jail? The birthday party and the shared joy? The impact of Falcon's death on Juan? The present of the tapes given by the chauffeur friend? The character of Falcon in himself - his values, a parallel to Juan. the bond of friendship,. the truth? Juan's relationship with Josefina and meting her at the beginning? With Carmen especially after the revelation at the end?

5. Juan as the film's focus - main character, with the camera at the beginning. pushing to meet Josefina, the clash with Carmen? The search for Falcon? His working with Paco? The attraction towards Clara? His picking up the woman in the bar? A man of superficial relationships and affairs? The quality of his work? Its effect on him? His interview with Clara about her mother and witchcraft? The importance of the growing relationship with Carmen and the passionate sequence together? Clara and the superficial encounter? Her change? Paco and his reading the letter to Juan? How did Juan develop as a man through this experience? His qualities? The challenge of Falcon's death, the truth about Carmen? Clara's visit and her leaving? Juan's explanation of what he did when he came home and his re-enacting it Carmen arriving and his asking her to ring the bell again (to the music from Don Giovanni) ? The possibilities for the future?

6. Clara and Paco and their marriage, friendship with Juan? Their growing away from one another? Clara's lies and deception - especially with hiding Juan? The letter? Paco's growing moroseness? Clara's leaving at the end?

7. Carmen: looking after the dogs and not liking it, resisting friendship with Juan, teaching and her work with the children,, going out with him, the passionate night together, celebrating her father's birthday in prison? Her grief at her father's death and the encounter at the railway station? Juan's playing of the tape through the fence? Her response and reaction to the truth? How did this throw light on her behaviour. her father's behaviour. his going to prison. his death? Her coming to Juan at the end - a future with him?

8. The film's portrait of working journalists and their role in society, insights, questions - and the emphasis on questions and answers throughout the film?

9. The film's showing patterns of relationships, insight into character, basic issues of love, friendship, career, personal integrity, death?