The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

Victor Erice’s exquisite impressionistic distillation of childhood fear and wonder in the ruins of the recently ended Spanish Civil War.

“A film about loss, about gaps and silences, about the scars left by conflict. Erice’s film offers a devastating portrait of a country grieving, without ever mentioning the Civil War directly. A film about the cinema, about the monsters we create and the power of cinema to animate and challenge.” Maria Delgado

“Unfolds like a waking dream, hushed and febrile and haunted by personal memory and national historical baggage.” Guy Lodge

“One of the finest meditations there is on the strange and wondrous nature of both childhood and cinema.” Rielle Navitski

1973 Spain
Directed by
Víctor Erice
Produced by
Elías Querejeta
Written by
Ángel Fernández Santos, Víctor Erice
Featuring
Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent
Running time
98 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for The Spirit of the Beehive

Critics

José Arroyo
Spain/UK
Jessica Balanzategui
Australia
César Ballester
Spain/UK
Josephine Botting
UK
Xan Brooks
UK
Ernest Chan Chi-wa
Hong Kong
Adrian Danks
Australia
Maria Delgado
UK
Juan Manuel García Ferrer
Spain
Bruce Hodsdon
Australia
Javier Ikaz
Spain
Marcel Jean
Canada/France
Alexia Kannas
Australia
Guy Lodge
UK/South Africa
Manus McManus
Ireland
Petar Milat
Croatia
David Morrison
UK
Carlos Muguiro
Spain
Ian Nathan
UK
Rielle Navitski
USA
Jaime Pena
Spain
Mark Reid
UK
Joe Rubin
USA
Jon Shibata
USA
Leigh Singer
UK
Farran Smith Nehme
USA
Dana Stevens
USA
Alison Strauss
UK
Teet Teinemaa
Estonia
José Teodoro
Canada
Jon Towlson
UK
Guy Westwell
UK
Jessica Winter
USA
Kevin Wynter
USA

Directors

Colm Bairéad
Ireland
Natalia Cabral
Dominican Republic
Lucy Cohen
UK
Pat Collins
Ireland
Kōji Fukada
Japan
Alexis Gambis
France/Venezuela
Lucile Hadžihalilović
france
Aki Kaurismäki
Tadhg O'Sullivan
Ireland
Laura Waddington
UK

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