
The Spirit of the Beehive
1973, Drama, 1h 35m
25 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
El Espíritu de la Colmena uses a classic horror story's legacy as the thread for a singularly absorbing childhood fable woven with uncommon grace. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew

Fernando
Teresa
Ana
Isabel
Milagros
Frankenstein
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Critic Reviews for The Spirit of the Beehive
All Critics (25) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (1)
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[Ana] Torrent guilelessly captures the terror and wonder of imagination's possibility that so informs childhood experience.
January 11, 2021 | Full Review… -
Spirit of the Beehive is the sort of slumbrously sensitive item that tends to give art films a poisonous reputation... seems to believe in the infinite evocative power of long, ponderous, static takes.
May 9, 2018 | Full Review… -
Sensitive, beautifully-wrought.
March 26, 2009 | Full Review… -
It's a film that transports us back not just to the sights and sounds of childhood but to a core of sweet innocence and sometimes ignorant bliss.
July 6, 2006 | Rating: 4/4 -
This is a modest marvel of grace and framing that unfolds with the patience of a cloud and is driven more by wonder than pure emotion.
May 26, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review… -
Those who haven't seen it since the '70s may find themselves amazed all over again by its lyrical potency and grace; those who have never seen it may wonder how it can be that a film this great isn't shown somewhere all the time.
March 31, 2006 | Rating: 4/4
Audience Reviews for The Spirit of the Beehive
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Dec 09, 2018So what is meant by the spirit of the beehive, the title of this movie, and the impressionist painting we get from it? Itâ(TM)s a world where bees viewed in their hive through glass move in angry, chaotic directions. Itâ(TM)s an absolutely desolate landscape. A joyless marriage. A forest where if youâ(TM)re not careful, you might pick a deadly mushroom. A sister with a sadistic side, who enjoys playing little tricks on you, and chokes the cat. A world where, like the 1931 movie Frankenstein, a girl may put herself in danger through her innocence, and trust in someone who may turn out to be a monster. How does life carry on under a dictator, in the period following a bitter civil war? Life that is spiritually barren, without joy, and dangerous; one where we see the worst side of humanity and its monsters. There is such an aridity about this film, a sterility akin to those parched fields or the drones in the hive. And yet life continues on in the wide-eyed wonder, imagination, and curiosity of children. Ana Torrent and Isabel Telleria are wonderful as the girls, and the scene that director Victor Erice captures of the young and old watching the movie during its tense moments is fantastic. The cinematography is good but I didnâ(TM)t find it quite as legendary as others. My main criticism, though, is in pacing; the film is simply too slow for events which are mostly mundane. A part of that is in keeping with the creation of an overall feeling though, and I love the spirit of this film.Antonius B Super Reviewer
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Apr 13, 2016A brilliant and spellbinding sociopolitical commentary told in a most symbolic way (and with a gorgeous cinematography) as a fabulous tale of loss of innocence centered on a sweet 7-year-old girl who discovers evil at the heart of her beehive-like world in Francoist Spain.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Jul 22, 2013After seeing a touring print of FRANKENSTEIN in 1940s Spain, a young girl is convinced the monster is real and lives in an abandoned farmhouse on the edge of town. This movie is too slow for its own good---it takes an hour for the first major plot development, and for the young actress to discover a second expression---but the seriousness and artistry can't be overlooked.Greg S Super Reviewer
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Apr 15, 2013Victor Erice's slow-paced, dream-like "The Spirit of the Beehive" has a simple narrative that includes mainly long shots with minimal dialogue, but it's such an entrancing work. The score, the performances, the cinematography and the central story involving Frank Whale's "Frankenstein" are excellent, and even if it's not the most interesting thing out there, it's worth a watch simply because of how dream-like it is.Stephen E Super Reviewer
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