Cheap All About My Mother (DVD) (Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes) (Pedro Almodóvar) Price

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Customer Reviews of All About My Mother

All About Las Mujeres....
I bought this dvd recently at a discount as a previously viewed item. I've always enjoyed Pedro Almodovar's work, especially my favorite, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". I had read and heard lots of good things about "All About My Mother" and after watching it, I wasn't let down. Cecilia Roth is excellent as Manela, a mother her loses her only son, Esteban, to a car accident before her very eyes. Grief stricken she decides to run away from Madrid where she lived and return to Barcelona, the city that she left years ago as a young pregnant woman. Once in Barcelona she meets an old friend called La Agrado, a transsexual prostitute, who in turn introduces her to Rosa, a nun, who becomes a new friend. She also finds work with Huma Rojo (played wonderfully by Marisa Paredes) an actress who is touring the country playing Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William's great work, "A Street Car Named Desire". It was this play that she saw with her son the night he was killed, as he was trying to meet Huma Rojo. The story has lots of twists and is always interesting, as you would expect from Almodovar. But it is the relationships between these women that is the real star of this movie. Almodovar explores the depth of friendship and sisterhood between these women but never turns it into a Lifetime Movie. And due must be given to the actresses, in paticular Cecelia Roth, Marisa Paredes and Antonio San Juan. This movie is a great find and I recommend it to all.

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Almodovar's Greatest work! The pinnacle of Foregin Films.
A director has reached the top of his profession when he is referred to by one name alone (Ex: Spielberg, Coppola, and Scorcesse). Pedro Almodovar has reached that point in his career and his latest film, All About My Mother, has secured his place among the greatest directors of his generation; not only in his native Spain but also all over the world.

A splendid cast headed by Argentinean actress Cecilia Roth, legendary Spanish actress Marissa Paredes and younger stars Penelope Cruz and Candela Peña turns this film into the meeting of two era's of the Spanish cinema.

Manuela, a single young mother (Cecilia Roth) loses her son to an auto accident after seeing a production of A Street Car Named Desire starring Huma Rojo (Marissa Paredes) on his birthday.

Destroyed by the death of her son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona to find the boy's father and tell him that when she left him nearly two decades before she was pregnant with his child who was now dead.

Upon arriving in Barcelona, Manuela accidentally reunites with La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), a transsexual friend who she left behind when she fled from Barcelona so many years ago. La Agrado in turn introduces her to Sister Rosa (Penelope Cruz), a nun who becomes very close to Manuela. When Sister Rosa is taken ill it is Manuela who cares for her, and becomes somewhat her surrogate mother while still trying to deal with the loss of her own son.

While in Barcelona she goes to see A Streetcar Named Desire starring Huma Rojo, the actress who had left her son so impressed when they saw it Madrid. One thing leads to another and Manuela starts working as Huma's personal assistant, trying to keep her life in order and trying to keep Nina (Huma's Lesbian heroine addict lover) under control.

Add to the pot the birth of a baby, a funeral, AIDS, and a dear old man with Alzheimer's and you have one of the greatest Spanish language films ever made, portraying subjects that only American Directors like Quentin Tarantino may be brave enough to tackle.

The most Humorous scenes involve the transsexual La Agrado as she recalls her days of prostitution and the expenses of her cosmetic surgery.

Cecilia Roth's performance as Manuela is extraordinary and Penelope Cruz's portrayal of Sister Rosa makes it obvious as to why Vanity Fair chose her as one of the hottest youngest actresses of her generation.

I would be remiss and an out right idiot if I did not mention Marissa Paredes as Huma Rojo. Paredes is not a classic beauty but has the legendary quality and glamour that made Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Crawford stars. When on the screen she steals the show.

Fans of Almodovar will be elated by his latest offering. I recommend the film if only for the scenery of Barcelona. Offering the best mix of Drama and Comedy, Almodovar has out done himself once again. It is easy to see why the film received Best film at The Cannes Film Festival as well as The Academy Award's Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Also by Almodovar I recommend High Heels (also with Marissa Paredes) and Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown.

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It's a womens' world-even the men want to be women!
The death by accident of a mother's much loved son compels her to go to Barcelona and inform the father, who doesn't even know of the boy's existence. Finding the father is not so easy and by going to Barcelona, the mother digs back into a world she had left behind in order to bring up her son. It is a sordid but colourful world with transvestite prostitutes, junkies, an AIDs riddled nun, divas, and the usual associates of one's past. Remember that this is Almodovar, not Ivory-Merchant. However, these people are not displayed as freaks, but portrayed sympathetically. Almodovar celebrates their lives. He does not pass judgement.

Like other Almodovar films, the complex story line shows the strains that pull apart and bring together relationships. The emotional lives of the characters are laid bare. While there may be melodrama, there is a strict avoidance of sentimentality. The acting is wonderful, especially Cecilia Roth, who for some reason reminds me of the British actress, Hannah Gordon.

My only criticism is the use of coincidence. This is also a feature of other Almodovar's films; but here he stretches it a bit far. For instance, first the Cecilia Roth character steps in to take the part of an actress in a professional stage play, to great acclaim, and then when she leaves it, her transvestite friend, who as far as I know has never acted in his life, effortlessly takes over. This is a small criticism. "All About My Mother" is a splendid film by a great film maker. Without being a dreary feminist polemic, it is a celebration of women in all their roles: as mothers, as lovers, as carers; and to those who want to be women. Warmly recommended.