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Information

A.k.a.
The Spirit of the Beehive
Year
1973
Runtime
98 min.
Director
Víctor Erice
Genres
Drama, Fantasy
Rating *
8.0
Votes *
13,363
Checks
4,483
Favs
633
Dislikes
48
Favs/checks
14.1% (1:7)
Favs/dislikes
13:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Spanish director Víctor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive has to be part of the inspiration for Pan's Labyrinth. It just has to be. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it stars a couple of young girls who, after seeing Universal's Frankenstein, reimagine him as an immortal spirit and come to believe he resides in an abandoned barn. For the older girl, the world of spirits seems an excuse to give in to dark impulses. For the younger - whose eyes will SWALLOW YOUR SOUL, gosh - it is a mystery she herself creates in trying to understand death. Certainly, there's a lot of tension in the film just from the girls putting themselves in odd kind of dangers, both physical and spiritual. The film operates like poetry, with images overlapping and resonating, but does not easily give up its secrets. It's gorgeous, quiet, intriguing, at times eerie, purposefully lyrical, and for all its art and spare image making, still captivates. Del Toro fans would do well to check it out, but it's a recommendation I extend to all true cinephiles. 5 years 5 months ago
  2. Agrimorfee's avatar

    Agrimorfee

    A movie you can't look away from, but damn, I just didn't get it. 10 years 6 months ago
  3. Fellini_Fiend87's avatar

    Fellini_Fiend87

    Beautiful. 12 years 10 months ago
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In 21 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #2 in Caimán's Top Spanish Films
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    Caimán's Top Spanish Fil…

    2
  2. This movie ranks #3 in Nickel Odeón's Best Spanish Films
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    Nickel Odeón's Best Span…

    3
  3. This movie ranks #21 in iCheckMovies's 1970s Top 100
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    iCheckMovies's 1970s Top…

    21
  4. This movie ranks #27 in Empire's The 100 Best Films of World Cinema
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    Empire's The 100 Best Fi…

    27
  5. This movie ranks #46 in Butler's Fantasy Cinema: Impossible Worlds on Screen
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    Butler's Fantasy Cinema:…

    46
  6. This movie ranks #54 in Stanley Kubrick, Cinephile
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    Stanley Kubrick, Cinephi…

    54
  7. This movie ranks #67 in Akira Kurosawa's A Dream Is a Genius
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    Akira Kurosawa's A Dream…

    67
  8. This movie ranks #81 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
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    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    81
  9. This movie ranks #93 in Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
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    Empire's The 500 Greates…

    93
  10. This movie ranks #112 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    112
  11. This movie ranks #190 in iCheckMovies's Most Favorited
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    iCheckMovies's Most Favo…

    190
  12. This movie ranks #224 in Harvard's Suggested Film Viewing: Narrative Films
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    Harvard's Suggested Film…

    224
  13. This movie ranks #297 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    297
  14. This movie ranks #345 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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    BFI's 360 Classic Featur…

    345
  15. This movie ranks #362 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    362
  16. This movie ranks #390 in The Criterion Collection
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    The Criterion Collection

    390
  17. This movie ranks #407 in Roger Ebert's Great Movies
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    Roger Ebert's Great Movi…

    407
  18. This movie ranks #559 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    559
  19. This movie ranks #767 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    767
  20. This movie ranks #811 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
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    The New York Times's Boo…

    811
  21. This movie ranks #863 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    863
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