Un hombre escribe, vive y ama en la oscuridad. Catorce años antes sufrió un brutal accidente de coche en la isla de Lanzarote. En el accidente no sólo perdió la vista, también perdió a Lena, la mujer de su vida.Este hombre usa dos nombres, Harry Caine, lúdico seudónimo bajo el que firma sus trabajos literarios, relatos y guiones, y Mateo Blanco, su nombre de pila real, con el que vive y firma las películas que dirige. Después del accidente, Mateo Blancosereduce a su seudónimo, Harry Caine. Si no puede dirigir películas se impone sobrevivir con la idea de que Mateo Blanco murió en Lanzarote junto a su amada Lena.En la actualidad, Harry Caine vive gracias a los guiones que escribe y a la ayuda de su antigua y fiel directora de producción, Judit García, y de Diego, el hijo de ésta, secretario, mecanógrafo y lazarillo.Desde que decidiera vivir y contar historias, Harry es un ciego activo y atractivo que ha desarrollado todos sus otros sentidos para disfrutar de la vida, a base de ironía y una amnesia autoinducida. Ha borrado de su biografía toda sombra de suprimeraidentidad, Mateo Blanco.Una noche Diego tiene un accidente y Harry se hace cargo de él (su madre, Judit, está fuera de Madrid y deciden no comunicarle nada para no alarmarla). En las primeras noches de convalecencia, Diego le pregunta por la época en que respondía alnombredeMateo Blanco, después de un momento de estupor Harry no sabe negarse y le cuenta a Diego lo ocurrido catorce años antes con la intención de entretenerle, como un padre le cuenta un cuento a su hijo pequeño para que se duerma.La historia de Mateo, Lena, Judit y Ernesto Martel es una historia de "amour fou", dominada por la fatalidad, los celos, el abuso de poder, la traición y el complejo de culpa. Una historia emocionante y terrible cuya imagen más expresiva es lafotodedos amantes abrazados, rota en mil pedazos.
A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not only lost his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life.This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduceshimselfto his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can´t direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena.In the present day, Harry Caine lives thanks to the scripts he writes and to the help he gets from his faithful former production manager, Judit Garcia, and from Diego, her son, his secretary, typist and guide. Since he decided to live and tellstories,Harry is an active, attractive blind man who has developed all his other senses in order to enjoy life, on a basis of irony and self-induced amnesia. He has erased from his biography any trace of his first identity, Mateo Blanco.One night Diego has an accident and Harry takes care of him (his mother, Judit, is out of Madrid and they decide not to tell her anything so as not to alarm her). During the first nights of his convalescence, Diego asks him about the time when heanswered to the name of Mateo Blanco, after a moment of astonishment Harry can´t refuse and he tells Diego what happened fourteen years before with the idea of entertaining him, just as a father tells his little child a story so that he´ll fallasleep.The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of "amour fou", dominated by fatality, jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of twoloversembracing, torn into a thousand pieces.
CAST
Performance
Name
Role
Cast
Penélope Cruz
lena
Cast
Lluís Homar
Mateo y Harry Cane
Cast
Blanca Portillo
Judit
Cast
José Luis Gómez
ernesto Martel
Cast
Rubén Ochandiano
Ray X
Cast
Tamar Novas
Diego
Cast
Ángela Molina
Madre de Lena
Cast
Chus Lampreave
Portera
Cast
Kiti Manver
Madame Mylene
Cast
Lola Dueñas
Lectora de labios
Cast
Mariola Fuentes
Edurne
Cast
Carmen Machi
Chon
Cast
Kira Miró
Modelo
Cast
Rossy De Palma
Julieta
Cast
Alejo Sauras
Alex
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CREW
Performance
Name
Notes
Production
Agustín Almodóvar
Directed by
Almodóvar, Pedro
Executive Production
Esther García
Line Production
Toni Novella
Production Manager
Chus San Pascual (Lanzarote)
Screenplay
Pedro Almodóvar
Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto Asc-Amc
Score
Alberto Iglesias
Film Editing
José Salcedo
Production Design - Art Direction
Antxon Gómez
Costume Design
Sonia Grande
Sound Mixer
Miguel Rejas
Sound Design
Pelayo Gutiérrez
Re-recording mixer
Marc Orts
Assistant Director
Guillermo Escribano
Casting
Luis San Narciso
Make-up
Ana Lozano
Hairdressing
Máximo Gattabrusi
Special Effects
Reyes Abades
Camera Operators
Joaquín Manchado (Lanzarote)
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FILM & TRAILER RATINGS
he current rating will be the one with the most current resolution date
Film Rating
Duration
Certification
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR AUDIENCES UNDER 13
130 min.
2/19/2009
Trailer Rating
Runtime
Certification
GENERAL AUDIENCES
2 min. seg.
1/29/2009
GENERAL AUDIENCES
1 min. seg.
1/29/2009
Video Rating
Runtime
Certification
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR AUDIENCES UNDER 13
130 min. seg.
6/8/2009
PUBLIC GRANTS
Grant
Amount
Grants - Amortisation of Feature Films - General
1,000,000.00 €
Grants - Distribution of Feature Films
45,075.00 €
Grants - Reducing interest - Production
50,000.00 €
CREW
Tag
Information
Year of the Spanish Films Catalogue
2009
Production year
2009
Length
Largometraje
Film Formats
35 mm.
Running time
130 minutos
Emulsion
Kodak Vision2 250D 5205, Vision3 500T 5219, Fuji Eterna Vivid 160T 8543 y Kodak Vision3 500T 7219 16 mm.
Aspect ratio
Panorámico 1:1,85 - Scope 1:2,35
Camera model
Arriflex 416 con lentes Zeiss Ultra 16, Panavision Panaflex Millennium con lentes Panavision G-Series yPanavision Panaflex Platinum con lentes Panavision Primo