Belle Epoque

BELLE ÉPOQUE (15)
D: Fernando Trueba
Mayfair/Lola/Animatografo (Andres Vicente Gomez)
Spain/Portugal 🇪🇸 🇵🇹 1992 (released 1993)
109 mins
 
Comedy
 
W: Rafael Azcona
DP: Jose Luis Alcaine
Ed: Carmen Frias
Mus: Antoine Duhamel
PD: Juan Botella
 
Fernando Fernan Gomez (Manolo), Jorge Sanz (Fernando), Maribel Verdu (Rocio), Ariadna Gil (Violetta), Miriam Diaz-Aroca (Clara), Penelope Cruz (Luz), Gabino Diego (Juanito)
 
In Spain during the 1930's, an army deserter finds refuge in a house of a widower with four beautiful daughters, with whom the deserter has a romance with each of.
If this was made in Britain or the United States it would be classed as a sex comedy (and would probably be crass), but this is very respectfully done with some good performances, especially from the actresses playing the four daughters.
A surprise winner for the Foreign Film Oscar of 1993.
6/10

The cast of Belle Époque
The cast of Belle Époque
Did You Know:
Fernando Trueba shot the movie in Portugal for two main reasons: 1) he couldn't find any place similar to what he had in mind in Spain and 2) the use of that Portuguese location allowed him to empathize the tone of fable the story required.