MARIO GAUCI Although I own practically half of his filmography, I have only watched three Carlos Saura (whom I saw in the flesh at the 2012 European Film Awards which were held over here in Malta!) movies so far – WEEPING FOR A BANDIT (1964; featuring a cameo from Luis Buñuel), ANTONIETA (1982; co-written by Jean-Claude Carrière) and BUÑUEL AND KING SOLOMON'S TABLE (2001); however, being aware that it was going to be Saura's 82nd birthday presently, I decided it was high time I watched a handful more. The film under review – a slow-burning but powerful anti-Fascist allegory that is all the more remarkable for being made under Spanish dictator Franco's regime! – is the one which made his name, having won him (among others) the Best Director prize at that year's Berlin Film Festival. The plot deals with three Spanish Civil War veterans who return – after many years and with a younger relative – to their old battleground (a skeleton of one Loyalist is proudly exhibited in a nearby shed) ostensibly to hunt rabbits but, during the course of the hot, tedious day spent in alcoholic consumption and hidden agendas, old wounds and prejudices are fatally rekindled. Acting as their trapper and cook are the crippled poacher (of the landowner in the group) and his adolescent niece: their 'disdainful' status is reflected in the disease that is already decimating the rabbit population and the landowner taking on a much younger mistress after his wife left him. From the small, uniformly fine cast, award-winning Jose' Maria Prado (a familiar face from several Art-house and Euro-Cult movies) – playing the envious, trigger-happy, Sci-Fi nut of the group is a particular stand-out.Being an animal lover, I was wary that the obligatory hunting and trapping sequences were going to be the whole show here: luckily, it was not the case but when these do come on (gleefully participated in by the landowner's black dog and ironically set to light-headed Spanish pop ditties blasting from a portable radio), they are certainly harrowing to watch: a ferret violently taunts a cowering rabbit in his hole out into the open where the hunters lie in wait for it; the same dutiful ferret is soon deliberately dispatched by the self-made businessman of the group; and, most memorably, a rabbit defiantly stops its flight for a few seconds amid a hail of bullets before being blasted off in a cloud of fur and dust.

mlraymond La Caza/The Hunt is a somewhat cryptic film, in which information about the characters is revealed gradually and sparingly, through limited dialogue, and more is implied through the visuals. Unsettling drumbeats in the background help to set an ominous mood from the beginning.The tragedy that occurs by the end of the movie is difficult to comprehend by any normal standards, but seems inevitable, as the planned hunting trip turns sour through a long, hot day. Three former friends in modern Spain set out on a rabbit hunting excursion, and find their friendships stretched to the breaking point, as minor annoyances build toward more frequent and angrier confrontations. Essentially, all three of the older men are suffering from a midlife crisis, and are trying to cope with feelings of failure. The young man who accompanies them is the only one unaffected by the increasingly bitter mood of the former friends.This film is not easy to watch, but the performances are excellent, and the story gripping. The actors are totally natural and believable, in their roles of the former friends who can longer tolerate each other.Definitely recommended.

samgalvin336 In this film Saura portrays the suffering of Spain after the civil war and during the dictatorship, this is shown through the use of the dry, arid land where the action is set which symbolises the economic ruin of Spain as well as the emotional state of his three main protagonists Luís, José and Paco. The only masterpiece in this film is the subtle use of symbolism, and lets face it Saura didn't have much choice but to use this device due to the censorship laid down by Franco. A masterpiece i think not. A film should be easy to understand and follow without having to look for the meaning so if u cant be bothered with that this is not the film for you. However further cases of symbolism within the film are:Rabbits= republicans Ferrets= nationalists/the peasant Juan mannequin= the worthlessness of women during the Franco era Enrique= hope, the new generation, not messed up by war, innocence science fiction book (read by Luis)=reality is too hard to bare the German gun= reminds of war as Spain and Germany were allies and the war is never mentioned by characters so Saura gets his point across this way the heat= the ruin of Spain the skeleton= the international brigade and people who died in the war money= the terrible state of the Spanish economy during the Franco era

Prof_Lostiswitz Anyone who enjoyed Lord of the Flies or the Blair Witch Project should admire this chilling Spanish psychodrama, which is better than either. A few men are gathered for a day's rabbit hunting; it becomes apparent that they are well-to-do veterans of the Spanish Civil War. The place looks as desolate and barren as it is possible to imagine, and the heat is obviously intense. The men have memories of this godforsaken gulch, since it was a battlefield in the Civil War. As the day goes on, the scorching sun frays the men's nerves and sends them toward delirium, bringing out their inner weaknesses and their personal conflicts, normally concealed beneath a veneer of politeness. The end comes suddenly.There allusions to the apocalypse (Luis is a poetical spirit who likes quoting Revelations, as well as science fiction). The setting is reminiscent of Ezekiel's valley of dry bones; Saura is wise enough to draw this analogy visually, without openly stating it. These men have great burdens on their consciences, which they are loath to admit, and they will pay dearly. A younger man invited along points up the contrast; he wasn't involved in the Civil War, or shady business dealings, so he is naïve and open.One thing that makes this movie superior to the stuff we normally see is the lack of superfluous dialogue; there are long patches where subtle gestures or metaphorical images are allowed to speak for themselves. Even the music is restricted to a few muffled drumbeats or chimes, and these are used sparingly. This is a low-budget masterpiece which deserves comparison in style to The Isle (2000).My only criticism is that the beginning is a bit slow; but you'll certainly get into it if you sit through the first ten minutes.