Romasanta

If you're one of those people who quite enjoyed "La Pacte des Loups" (Brotherhood of the Wolf) a few years back but were left disappointed by some of the more ridiculous historical inaccuracies, then you might want to take a look at Romasanta.

The story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta is quite a well known one in Spain. It happened in the mid-nineteenth century, when a string of violent deaths took place which seemed in some ways like animal attacks, and in others like cold and calculated murder. Eventually a man was arrested -- Manuel Romasanta, and it was found that he used the body fat from his victims to make soap. At his trial he claimed that he became a werewolf, and that it is the nature of a wolf to kill. He was diagnosed with the psychological condition of lycanthropy, and given a life sentence rather than death.

The film itself is based largely on truth, partly on speculation and partly on pure invention for artistic purposes. It's certainly a lot closer to the truth than "Brotherhood of the Wolf" was, anyway. One character is knowingly invented, and some rather unlikely theories are put forward in the place of that which is unknown, but the question of whether or not Romasanta was actually a werewolf is left completely open. Paco Plaza appears to be a competent and innovative director, and the style of the film is really superb. It is quite slow moving, and arguably it's rather light on actual story and plot, but that's about as far as the criticism goes.

There are several great performances, but the standout comes from Julian Sands as the title character, who submerges himself in the role in the way that only outstanding actors can. John Sharian is also very good as the misguided, haunted 'partner' of Romasanta, and both Gary Piquer and David Gant are memorable in supporting roles as those who finally bring the murderer to justice. It also features Elsa Pataky as the leading heroine, who has become a huge sex symbol in Spain and it isn't hard to see why -- think along the lines of a Spanish Keira Knightley.

This is the finest historical werewolf film I've ever seen, and any self-respecting werewolf buff should take a look, but unfortunately there's not much chance of this one being a blockbuster.

I've seen the movie at the Malaga Festival, Spain. It's one of the BEST GOTHIC STORIES OF ALL TIMES. It's a peculiar mixture between The Silent of the Lambs and Sleepy Hollow or From Hell. It's more than a normal horror werewolf movie. Much more. It's a story where gothic meets romance, where horror meets love, where documentary meets fairytale. Yes. 'cause this is a TRUE STORY!!! Manuel Blanco Romasanta is one of the most intriguing serial killers of all times. He was judged in Spain in 1852. having confessed the killing of at least 13 people, he dared proclaim his innocence: he was not guilty because he was a werewolf! The thing I liked most is the way the authors introduce us in a REAL FAIRYTALE. I don't find other words to describe this story. it's fantasy and reality at the same time. It's like to be at the same time in a chapter of CSI and in the tale of Red Riding Hood. We experience this adventure from the point of view of Barbara, the woman who falls in love with Manuel Romasanta and who progressively changes her love into rage.. The arc of the character is so well developed, that the identification with her is complete. We do feel the same love and the same hatred that Barbara felt towards Manuel. Another strong point of the movie is the cast. and moreover the female roles. The actresses who play Barbara and her sister Maria are superb. I really enjoyed the way they expressed their arena. Finally, last but not least, I do suggest to keep an eye on this young director: Paco Plaza. Believe me, he's a TRUE GENIUS.

In the desperate hunt to find a werewolf film of any standing discovered Romasanta. Unfortunately it seems i've wasted over two hours on a movie which had the feel of a bad TV history re-enactment drama. My housemate and fellow viewer pointed out a variety of continuity errors. We agreed that It's poorly acted, scripted, dull and drags like a dog with worms drags his arse across the carpet. I can't submit this review without writing ten lines but I really don't know what to say anymore, apart from we yawned a bit and stared at the wall a few times. We discussed how clapping originated, looked at his new shoes that he'd purchased online and how there aren't many good werewolf films, which is a shame.

But really I wouldn't bother watching this if I were you.

An interesting story, with good acting, well told. Good direction, visually appealing, atmospheric.

However, scientifically, and/or historically literate viewers will find one nagging, glaring blunder; at one point in this story, which is supposed to be set in the mid 19th century, there is a reference to a person being controlled "by his genes". Come on! The term "gene" wasn't even proposed until half a century later, and additionally, around mid 19th century the mechanism of inheritance was entirely unknown; Mendel's work lay undiscovered until early 20th century, and even Mendel didn't use the word "gene" (so it couldn't have been a case of some exceptionally insightful scientist having discovered the term in some ).

That sort of a slip may not seem much, but for someone aware of this history, it does brake the illusion of an authentic world in which the events are set, making it harder to enjoy the movie. I'm surprised that anybody reviewing the script didn't pick up on it... but then again, the state of scientific literacy among filmmakers is often abysmal. In a movie set in a historical period, accuracy should be more of a priority though, I think.

The story proceeds almost languidly, punctuated by moments of violence and terror; perhaps too slow for most horror fans to appreciate, and those who do appreciate the subtlety are likely to be bothered by the "gene" mishap. The score is beautiful, and lighting is used to good effect; the combination makes for a visually and auditorily pleasing experience.

Perhaps because of how the movie is portrayed as a werewolf movie, the people who might best enjoy it, aren't likely to see it, and the people expecting a traditional supernatural horror movie might feel a bit let down.

In conclusion, Romasanta is a movie not as good as it could have been, and somewhat misleadingly advertised on the cover, but well worth seeing nonetheless. I was torn between 7 or 8 stars, and decided to be generous. :)

1851 Galicia , an uproar is caused when some mutilated cadavers are discovered. Wolves plague the forests. People are disappearing. The mutilated cadavers present precise surgical cuts along with savage gashes ,giving way to the legend of the "Werewolf of Allariz". A traveling vendor (Julian Sands) along with his wife (Maru Valdivieso) and daughter rolls through the forest in his old wagon. A woman from every village on his route faithfully awaits him. He's attractive, intelligent, charming.... But he's also the monster feared by all. His most recent prey, Barbara (Elsa Pataky) will soon become the one who hunts him down .

This exciting terror picture displays drama , action, suspense, with mysterious touches and is quite entertaining . The frightening story begins well and grows more and more until a downbeat finale. It's some different containing Galicia legends and actual events but with clear reference to previous werewolves films . Good performances from Julian Sands as traveling seller who hides a terrible secret and Elsa Pataky as unfortunate victim who seeks vengeance . The transformation of man into werewolf is complex and is made by expert make-up artist with no computer generator FX .The writers provide a well-knit plot with mystery and horror, giving full rein to Paco Plaza natural talent for the terror genre . Colorful cinematography by Javier Salmones and atmospheric musical score by Mikel Salas fitted perfectly to suspense action .The flick is finely produced by the chairman of Filmax and Castelao Productions , Julio Fernandez who along with his brother Carlos Fernandez are two successful producers and experts on Horror genre , producers of hits as ¨The machinist¨ ,¨ Fragiles¨, ¨Darkness¨, and many others. The picture is professionally directed by Paco Plaza (Second name, OT) who along with by Jaume Balaguero are the main Spanish filmmakers expert on terror cinema , both of whom have realized the box-office big successes as ¨Rec 1¨ and ¨Rec 2¨ , among others . It's a standard terror and sometimes graphically gory and turns out to be an acceptable attempt to cash in the werewolf sub-genre. Rating : 6,5 Good .

The film is based on the true-life story of Manuel Blanco Romasanta, the traveling vendor, who confessed to the murders of thirteen people, using their body fat to make soap. Romasanta was tried in Allaríz in 1852 and avoided capital punishment by proclaiming he was a werewolf. Barbara was the lone survivor of four sisters . He obtained pardon to death penalty by queen Isabel II but was condemned life penalty . He died in prison .