Umbracle

Something like a companion piece to Vampir – Cuadecuc (1970): shot at the same time and also featuring the desperately missed Christopher Lee, but unveiled only later. And otherwise quite different, even if the atmosphere of dread is somewhat similar. ‘Umbracle’ stems from the Latin ‘umbra’: shadow – its darkest part, to be precise.
Sun-drenched is the Barcelona Christopher Lee explores here, and eerily empty (shades of Fata morgana (1965) perhaps?). What is he looking for – if he isn’t a somnambulant, following the course of his dreams? Later, he recites Poe’s poem The Raven and sings. Also, film critics discuss censorship, a long excerpt from Pedro Lazaga’s Frente infinito (1956) offers a good look at Francoist cinema at its most uninhibited, while comedians of yore provide some relief that isn’t necessarily funny. Lots of Brecht, masses of Vertov. Astonishing, to say the least.

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