La Sabina is a 1979 fantasy drama film written and directed by José Luis Borau. The cast features Ángela Molina, Jon Finch, Harriet Anderson, Simon Ward, Ovidi Montllor, and Carol Kane. It is a Spanish-Swedish co-production.
| La Sabina | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | José Luis Borau |
| Screenplay by | José Luis Borau |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lars Göran Björne |
| Edited by | José Salcedo |
| Music by | Paco de Lucía |
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| Distributed by | Alenda |
Release date |
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Plot
editSet in the Andalusian village of Jarros in the late 1970s, the plot follows an English author who moves to Spain to write a biography about English Romantic poet Hyatt, who went missing in the aforementioned village of the Serranía de Ronda. In the village, he heards about the myth of La Sabina, a she-dragon who, according to tradition, lures her victims and devours them. Likewise he falls for local woman Pepa, who has a retarded brother, Manolín.[1][2][3]
Cast
edit- Ángela Molina as Pepa[4]
- Jon Finch as Michael[1]
- Simon Ward as Philip[1]
- Harriet Andersson as Monica[5]
- Carol Kane as Daisy[5]
- Ovidi Montllor as Manolín[1]
- Fernando Sánchez Polack as Félix[1]
- Francisco Sánchez as Antonio[1]
Production
editShooting locations included the Cueva del Gato.[6] In an retrospective interview tackling the cast, Borau stated that he was only satisfied by the work of Ángela Molina, Carol Kane and Ovidi Montllor.[7]
Release
editThe film was released theatrically in Spain on 21 November 1979.[8]
Themes
editIn the film's depiction of the monstrous-feminine, the female body is feared as castrator, rather than as castrated.[9]
Reception
editJesús Fernández Santos of El País observed that Molina's "artistry and instinct bring a proper scope to the scenes in which she stars".[10]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | 35th CEC Awards | Best Director | José Luis Borau | Won | [11] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Carol Kane | Won |
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gómez 2016, p. 65.
- ↑ Kinder 1993, p. 361.
- ↑ Martos Núñez, Eloy; Martos García, Alberto (2012). "Imaginarios del "Devoramiento" en la cultura del agua: Dragones,"Tragantía", Tragaldabas y otros espantos. Implicaciones didácticas" (PDF). Indivisa. Boletín de Estudios e Investigación (13): 139. ISSN 2254-5972.
- ↑ Kinder, Marsha (1993). Blood Cinema. The Reconstruction of National Identity in Spain. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 358. ISBN 0-520-08153-6.
- 1 2 Kinder 1993, p. 358.
- ↑ Griñán, Francisco (30 November 2020). "Ángela Molina recibirá en Málaga el Goya de Honor 2021". Diario Sur (in European Spanish). Grupo Vocento.
- ↑ Martínez de Mingo, Luis (1997). José Luis Borau. Madrid. p. 88. ISBN 84-245-0736-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ Asión Suñer, Ana (2019). La Tercera Vía: revisión, actualización y debate historiográfico en el cine español del tardofranquismo (PDF). Zaragoza: Universidad de Zaragoza. Servicio de Publicaciones. p. 359.
- ↑ Gómez, María Asunción (2016). "La Sabina: Lo femenino-monstruoso en el cine de José Luis Borau". Hispanic Research Journal. 17 (1): 62–75. doi:10.1080/14682737.2015.1125105.
- ↑ Fernández Santos, Jesús (23 November 1979). "Los viajeros románticos". El País (in European Spanish).
- ↑ "Premios del Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos". El País (in Spanish). 2 February 1980. Retrieved 12 June 2026.