Hi there everyone. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions of movies to show to high school kids (ie. w/out much sex or violence)?
As the end of the school year approaches she beg for films. In the past I have shown "Mujeres a borde de un ataque de nervios" (they ADORE it), "Bodas de sangre," "El norte"(Mexico) "La historia oficial"(Argentina) to name a few. Any other ideas? (of course they should be availabe in the States) Gracias.

Esperanza, what levels are you teaching?
The movie Stand and Deliver is available in Spanish and my upper level kids love it - also Mi Familia (especially good if you have a lot of Mexican students, but it has profanity and a little sex - none of it gratuitous.) My 1st and 2nd yr. students like the Disney movies (El Rey Leon, Aladdin, Toy Story, etc. - they're available in Spanish and even at that level, where they can't understand everything,the fact that most already KNOW the story, makes it easier. They never seem to get tired of those movies, either. I can show the same one 2 or 3 times, after which, they're beginning to pick up quite a lot of the Spanish.

How about "Carmen"? There is a film version directed (or produced?) by Saura that I can remember watching in in college (1st year), so it might be okay to show to older high school students.

Also, "Camilla" which is Argentine I believe.

Of course, both of these have some sex and some violence, so I'm not sure that I'd show them to any class other than perhaps a class full of seniors..

ahh, "Camila..." impossible love, some sex on a table...probably not appropriate for high school classroom, although I was a junior in high school when I first saw it.

Ooops, I'd forgotten that scene! Erase "Camila" from the viewing list!

Has anyone thought of movies in DVD?. Here in Spain DVDs are dubbed in several languages (Spanish, English, German and sometimes even French, Italian...) and subtitled in even more languages (about 8 differente ones). And all these things in the same DVD.

However, DVD players have been designed so that European discs can't be played on American players and viceversa. I wonder if you can buy DVDs having the Spanish dubbing there in the US.

You can have choose to listen to the movie in any of the languages available and also choose among the subtitles.

Have anyone tried this?.

Glad to see someone else shows "Mujeres al borde..." My students RAVED on that one, and many were turned on to Almodóvar (for better or worse) by seeing that film.

We had an incredibly well-produced version of Don Quixote that we showed. It was done by TVE, has five cassettes, and is true to the novel. It so happened that we read an abridged version of the novel in Spanish in preparation (and concurrently), but at the same time, the students had been assigned an English translation of "Quixote" in their English classes...¡qué suerte! Showing at least the first part of that series is a must.

Hello All! JUST last night I rented and watched the 1999 Spanish movie " Lengua de las Mariposas/Butterfly " (in castellano with English subtitles). It was REALLY good! Takes place in a small town in Galicia JUST before the Spanish civil war starts. Click link above and then PLOT SUMMARY at left. Touching and sad at at times too. There's one sex scene with brief male and female nudity towards the beginning of the movie and reference to that scene later in the movie, but other than that I'd say it's totally appropriate.

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I also thought of Butterfly and Camila. I was wondering about movies I can purchase in Spain this summer that perhaps are not available here in the States. I am very interested in the Don Quijote. I will definitely look for that. Has anyone any thoughts about Macario...it's an old film, but I heard it is quite good.

Hello Esperanza,

The two films that I would recommend are:

Las Cartas de Alou/Letters from Alou
1990 Dir. Montxo Armendáriz
It is the story about Alou, an African immigrant, who enters Spain clandestinely in order to work. He faces alot of discrimination and hardship as he works up to Barcelona to meet up with a friend.
It won best picture at the 1990 San
Sebastian film festival.


Solas/Alone
Dir. Benito Zambrano 1998

About a caring mother, whose kindness affects both the lives of her pregnant and unmarried daughter and an elderly neighbor in modern-day Sevilla.

[ 04-13-2001: Message edited by: PacoM ]