This is the story of an Andalusian gypsy woman called Candela (La Polaca) living in Cadiz . It regards a haunted young girl being mysteriously harassed by his ex-lover and every night she goes to the place where his old lover died to dance with his ghost . It starts with a bloody confrontation between a violent man and a passionate gypsy , both of whom are dueling for the heart of the pretty young girl . As Diego Sánchez (Rafael de Córdoba) has dead in a razor fighting , although Candela affection goes on . The Diego's ghost is still obsessed with Candela's soul . After Diego's death at the hands of a contender falling by a cliff , but he continues to haunt Candela . Candela finally comes to realise that her ex-lover was unfaithful to her , and lives still . Thing go wrong when a fortune teller reads her the game cards and predicts tragic misfortunes . Meanwhile , a new suitor named Antonio (Antonio Gades ) ,falls really for Candela.
It is fundamentally a tragic melodrama with ballet scenes , that's why it is musically riveting , it is almost, also , perfect and laced with glimmer photography , particularly shown on the spectacular and sensitive dancing set pieces . It was a big success and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , but lost to ¨Jiri Menzel's Closely Observed Trains¨. However, it won the "National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain" award . This is the quintaessential Dance film features brilliant and frenetic choreography and embellished thanks to its chromatic aesthetic and a high-caliber Flamenco score , adding sensual re-creations of love , passion , betrayal , and jealousy . Freely based on ¨El amor brujo¨ , as the film filled out the story with spoken dialogue , but nevertheless used the entire score of the ballet , along with additional songs and dances performed by characters in the film. El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician, literally, Spell-bound Love or The Bewitched Love, sometimes translated as Wedded by Witchcraft) is a ballet composed in 1914-15 by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by Gregorio Martínez Sierra . In 1916, Falla arranged a rendition of the work for sextet and small orchestra and the following year he made a concert version, also for small orchestra . Later, he fashioned a piano suite from it and finally , a second ballet version (1925) that features expanded orchestration, elimination of the narration, small cuts and plot changes, and a different order to the numbers . The work is distinctively Andalusian in character with the songs in the Andalusian Spanish dialect of the Gypsies. The music contains moments of remarkable beauty and originality ; it includes the celebrated "Danza ritual del fuego" (Ritual Fire Dance), "Canción del fuego fatuo" (Song of Wildfire), and the "Danza del terror" (Dance of Terror) . As the entire location knows about the haunting , but still brands Candela as crazy because she dances every night with her husband's ghost ("Danza del terror") . Candela, now a widow, is free to establish a relationship with Carmelo, but continues to be haunted by her husband's ghost . As Candela gets advice that a ritual dance is necessary to cast the ghost off ("Danza ritual del fuego"), but it does not work . The great trio starring formed by three spendid dancers : Antonio Gades , La Polaca, Rafael de Córdoba are well accompanied by a fine support cast , such as : Nuria Torray , Morucha , José Manuel Martín , Fernando Sánchez Polack and the famous cantaor and guitarrist Camarón de la Isla .
Special mention for the colorful cinematography by Francisco Marín and Gábor Pogány in Eastmancolor set on an elaborate on shanty locations- at gypsy slums , roofs and beaches- in which a lot of dancers dancing splendidly . This 1967 film was well directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta winning several nominations and awards as Academy Awards, USA 1968 Nominee Oscar Best Foreign Language Film ; Moscow International Film Festival 1967 Nominee Grand Prix : Francisco Rovira Beleta ; National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain 1967 Winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle Best Film Rank: 1st place ; Premios ACE 1973 Winner Premio ACE Cinema - Best Actress La Polaca. Other film version are as follows : 1949 by Antonio Roman with Miguel Albaicín , Elena Barrios , Manuel Dicenta ,Emilia Escudero , Ana Esmeralda , Pastora Imperio, José María Martín , Arturo Marín . And the best rendition 1976 by Carlos Saura with Laura del Sol , Emma Penella , Cristina Hoyos , faithfully based on the ballet , starring and choreographed by Antonio Gades. It was the third in his trilogy of dance films, following Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding) and Carmen.
