Die unglaubliche und traurige Geschichte von der unschuldigen Erendira und ihrer herzlosen Großmutter

Eréndira is a dark fairy tale covered in the blanket of magic realism that has become Gabriel García Márquez's trademark. Director Ruy Guerra has devoted a lot of attention to upholding the surrealistic undertones of the novel. The story itself unfolds like a bizarre daydream that follows a 14 year old Eréndira as she is plagued by the "wind of her misfortune." It is the wind that causes Eréndira to burn down her grandmother's lavish villa. Upon seeing the ruin and ashes the Grandmother informs Eréndira that "it would take a lifetime to back the debt you owe me." And so begins the young girl's life of prostitution. In order to earn back her money, the Grandmother sells Eréndira to countless men, day and night. It is only when Eréndira meets angelic Ulysses that her tortured life seemingly begins to change. Perhaps the most brilliant aspect of this movie is the role of the Grandmother, played by Irene Papas. She is carried around on a throne-like chair, wears grotesquely gaudy dresses and devours cake by the handful; all while dispensing cryptic advice to Eréndira. The power that the Grandmother has over the life of Eréndira is shocking yet morbidly interesting, as is she. This strong presence is the reason that her character commands the most attention in the film. Her greed and apparent indestructibleness is quite possibly representative of the many corrupt and powerful organizations and politicians that are present in Latin America and throughout the world.

Eréndira is a compelling movie to say the least. It is funny yet eerie, intriguing yet grotesque, and I thought it was amazing. Everything from the sound effects to the costumes work together to create the web of magic realism that dominates the film. If you like slightly dark stories of Latin American culture with a magical twist, Eréndira should be your first choice.

The previous reviewers have already discussed the story in detail, so I will not go into it. I saw this story as a play, twice, at Repertorio Espanol in NYC. The sets and acting were excellent. I loved both of the very imaginatively and colorfully staged productions. The Repertorio does not produce it anymore, I think because it is too expensive. Then I happened to see the film on television a few years ago which, much to my surprise, was also very imaginative and excellent. I am so disappointed that I cannot buy the DVD. I will have to content myself with the book. Perhaps it will be produced again someday as a film. Gabriel Garcia Marquez had a son who writes and directs screenplays. He is just the opposite of his father, whose writing style was magical realism. His son's style is in-your-face realism. Anyway, I wonder if he would be interested in imitating his father and producing Erendira for us.

Although this lovely work of art does use some of the cinematic vocabulary of surrealism, it is in fact nothing of the sort. It is a political and cultural allegory of Mexico's post-Columbian odyssey, as even a passing glance at Mexico's history will attest.

In contrast to "Like Water for Chocolate," "Erendira" expects the viewer to meet it at least half way so that understanding it takes a little work. (A good starting point is to see the grandmother character as Spain: proud, aloof, sorrowful and, above all else, weighed-down-with-history.)

The ultimate actions of the heroine are obscure because the "outcome" of history (i.e. the present) is always obscure, since we are too close to it for honest evaluation. Refusal to neatly tie up loose ends is the only real choice available to the director, given the ambitions of the film.

"Erendira" is gorgeous. A big-screen experience would be ideal, if you can catch it at a local art house or university screening. But if not, VHS is better than never seeing it at all.

Young Erendira and her tyrranical Grandmother provide for a great fantasy from the new world. This interpretation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez'"La incréible y triste historia da la cándida Eréndira,..." may not rub Marquez purists the right way eventhough The story stays intact and still carries the full force of the work. The strength of this film is in its acting especially Papas as the Grandmother. Marquez fans and Marquez novices alike will enjoy this movie for its real gritty brand of witt.

Unfortunately, this movie never made it to DVD. I saw it when it was first released to the theaters in 1983, and then again when the VHS was released in 1992. When I recently saw a VHS copy at a flea market, I immediately bought it. I was not disappointed. First, the obvious: Claudia Ohana is beautiful and a joy to behold. But then, the film takes you into an unreal world where you have to reflect on your values and decide what is really important to you. The movie is about a lot of things. It is about how the World Bank and large corporations exploit and enslave developing countries with their capitalist schemes to force them into a debt that they can never repay. It is about how our economic system exploits us by forcing us into debt with credit cards, mortgage, and car payment. It is about trying to save an innocence that maybe we have never really had and maybe we cannot really save. It is about good and evil and about how hard it is sometimes to tell one from the other. It raises a lot of questions but does not give answers. I think sometimes this is good. For this reason, this is a film really worth saving and seeing.