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The film is set in 1931 Spain, just as the monarchy is about to be overthrown and replaced by a republic. Conflicted soldiers are choosing to desert rather than be forced to fire upon their rebellious countrymen. Fernando (Jorge Sanz) is among them; he's a young seminarian and a skilled cook who may have been conscripted. He's captured early in the film, only to escape in a most bizarre fashion. He stumbles upon a country brothel (apparently serviced by one busy prostitute), where he befriends Don Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez). Don Manolo owns a substantial farm, is separated from his ambitious soprano wife, and has four lovely daughters who are coming to visit the next day.

After spending a pleasant night at the farm and having cooked a fine meal for his host in gratitude for his hospitality, Fernando drives to the station with Don Manolo, intending to take the next train to Madrid. At the station, Don Manolo greets his very attractive daughters: Violeta (Ariadna Gil), a dedicated lesbian who, we will later learn, is not adverse to tinkering with bisexuality; Amalia (Mary Carmen Ramirez), a young widow who sorely misses a man in her bed; Rocio (Mirabel Verdu), an ambitious and lusty woman with appetites; and the youngest and sweetest, the innocent Luz (Penelope Cruz).

The sight of these appealing women and Luz's welcoming glances changes Fernando's plans rather abruptly. So before you can say viva la republica, Fernando has returned to Don Manolo's doorstep claiming to have missed his train. He's welcomed into the farmhouse and he again prepares another splendid meal, this time to impress the young women. Through no fault of his own, Fernando will find himself seduced by each of these daughters in turn. It doesn't matter that Rocio is allowing herself to be courted by Juanito (Gabino Diego), the wealthiest and perhaps the least appealing young man in the area. And it doesn't matter that Violeta considers herself a lesbian, nor that Amalia is in mourning, nor that Luz is a virgin. Each woman looks to Fernando for reasons he does not fully recognize and he mistakes their interest for love, that is, until the fourth daughter has her way with him.

The tale is told with affection and humor, but with patently Spanish sensibilities. Catholic religious fanaticism is mocked with distinctive glee. Don't take the plot too seriously; this was not intended to be a reality-based drama. It was intended to amuse. The English dub is quite mundane, not only because the voiceovers are stilted and without emotional subtexts, but because the dialog had to be modified to more closely match the mouth movements of the Spanish-speaking actors. You're far better off listening in the original language and dealing with the subtitles; the players are far more able to express themselves emotionally than the dubbing talent. And, I suspect, the subtitled translation is more representative of the spoken word.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. This transfer is a bit messy. Edge halos are visible, yet the overall impression is soft. Fine detail and subtle textures seem to have been lost to spatial filtering. The colors are a touch too intense, imparting a bit of garishness. Shadow detail is quite nice and the hues of the flesh tones seem accurate. I didn't notice any compression artifacts. I'm left with the impression of an acceptable but listless transfer, one that is eminently watchable but does not bear much resemblance to film.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The two tracks, Castilian Spanish and English, are presented in Dolby 2.0 surround, although surround may be a misnomer here. The mix essentially sounds like stereo. Deep bass is absent, and sound effects are neither dramatic nor dynamic. The score, such as it is, sounds a tad nasal, indicating some bandwidth limitations and that distortion mechanisms may be at work. The English dub is quite clear, but as I mentioned, not the preferred track. The Spanish dialog seems clear enough, but in that this is not my language, I cannot guarantee intelligibility. I can only assure you of a more satisfying conveyance of emotion.

The audio tracks are supported by subtitles in English and Spanish and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Director and co-screenwriter Fernando Trueba may be heard in a feature-length commentary. This is a very personal monologue. Trueba does not discuss the making of the film so much as he's provoked to recall and relate remembrances of the people both onscreen and off. Co-writer Rafael Azcona is singled out for particular praise. We learn of the director's relationships with fellow filmmakers and the motivations behind the hiring of specific players. He relates some of what is on the screen to his own life, as well. Neither concentrating on the technical nor concentrating on an analysis of character motivation and story arcs, this is an odd and unique approach to commentary that exposes the inspirations and motivations of the director. It's very clear that he feels that this may be his finest work, or at the very least, his favorite child.

There are three trailers included on this DVD: Sense and Sensibility, All About My Mother, and The Age of Innocence. The 110-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts