Blancanieves

We all know Walt's original version of Snow White, I know I watched the movie and read the book over and over as a child. Yesterday, I went to watch a Spanish interpretation of Snow White and yes it was called Blancanieves. When I was told that we were going to watch the film, I imagined a story line similar to that of Snow White and The Huntsman, with of course a very handsome Spaniard as the huntsman. So was there a huntsman? Unfortunately no. However, this film was a very unique take on this childhood story. It was a silent, black and white film in which the director Pablo Berger included many aspects of the Spanish culture.

The story line began with Blancanieves' parents. Her father was a famous bullfighter and her mother a flamenco dancer and singer. So you can already see the reflection of Spanish culture. Her father has a very tragic bullfighting accident and her mother dies giving birth to her. This then gives the father resentment towards his daughter and doesn't want to see her. She is then taken away and lives with her grandmother. Later due to unfortunate events, Blancanieves has to go live with her father who married a nurse that was only interested in his money. I forgot to mention he stayed paralyzed from the neck down after the accident. So this lady basically called the shots. When Blancanieves arrived, she was treated as a servant.

As the story goes and she grows up, her father is murdered and then an attempt to kill her is made. She runs away and is found by the dwarfs. These are bullfighting dwarfs and I loved that they weren't exactly like the dwarfs in the original story. They were so cute and brought comedic relief to the tragic story. They helped Blancanieves by allowing her to join their show. She ends up having talent and getting offered to bullfight at the Colosseum in Seville. This is a very emotional point in the story because she begins to remember her father and everything she went through. In this climatic moment, she almost leaves the arena and quits but of course she goes on. She won the bullfight and everyone lives happily ever after right?

Nope. She just had to eat the apple. Which leads to the ending.

Now the ending....hmmm, how to explain. It's that ending you love and hate. You love it because the film overall was so great but you almost hoped for more. So she is basically showcased once she was "asleep" and the audience paid to see her and for an attempt to kiss her to see if she would wake up. The one dwarf that fell in love with her actually never left her side. At the very end, he kisses her and all you see is a tear drop from one of her eyes. THE END.

I loved this film. It had a different vision and was well made for the characteristics it had. At least for me, if the film is going to be silent and in black and white, it must keep my attention 100% of the time. Blancanieves definitely did that for me. The interpretation and inclusion of the Spanish culture really gave a lot more to this remake of the fairy tale. It is nominated for the Goya Awards which is like the Oscar's here. I probably won't have a chance to see the other films before the awards show but Concha (my host mom) seems to believe it will definitely win. If you somehow come across the opportunity to see this film I highly suggest you do.

Fin.

¡Olé!

Last night was very interesting and definitely a new experience for me. Isabel took us to Las Carboneras which is a Tablao Flamenco. It is a restaurant in which those who dine there wait to see a Flamenco show. Before the show, we were served Tapas which is a traditional dinner here in Madrid. Typically they are accompanied with a drink with the purpose of helping the person avoid getting too drunk. I must remind you that "power-drinking", as Americans do, is frowned upon here... just saying. Anyway, Tapas are similar to what we categorize as appetizers but of course better ;). They brought out several plates for us with a wide variety of choices. Everything was delicious which explains why I won't have any pictures of it, the plates were on the table one second and gone the next. 

As we ate, I could hear the flamenco dancers practicing but not together. You see, these were improv flamenco dancers. I was confused when I heard this but I decided to just watch the show and hope to understand. The dance involved three women of which two sang and had beautiful voices. I didn't quite catch what they were saying but it sounded nice and kind of romantic (won't be going there for valentines day lol ). Then there were two guitarists, two singers and a male dancer. 

You might be wondering were the improv is in all of this. Once each of the dancers took the stage and began to dance, the guitar players would guide the music according to the dancer's feet movement. They do not have a set song they will dance to, hence the improv. It was very intense but very beautiful. I watched as the guitar players never took their eyes off of the dancer's feet. Each went up one at a time and would put their heart in every step they took. They made the beat and dance their own. The audience watched intensely and never took their eyes off the dancers. It was great to see how each had their own style and were so passionate about the dance. I definitely want to go there again. Talk about dinner and a show!

Madrid, La Ciudad Que Nunca Duerme

Sup guys, so this is my attempt at being a blogger while I frolic around Madrid for the semester. Shout out to my girl Liz Miller who gave me the pep talk and convinced me to do a blog. Her argument: "You can't be boring, you'll be in Madrid." We shall see how this goes.

I am living in Legazpi which is a district in Madrid with my host mom Concepcion (Concha). She's an absolute sweetheart and knows the way to a girls heart, or at least mine... good food. So the first order of business once we got to Madrid was to go on a tour of Puerta del Sol. It was unfortunately raining so we had to cut it short. Sol is basically the the Times Square of Madrid. You'll even have the occasional sighting of individuals dressed as some character. Mickey and Minnie were there, but if I learned anything from Hollywood Blvd and NYC, it was to stay away from those characters. They are the definition of sketchy. So I passed on the wonderful opportunity of getting to know the Spanish Mickey and Minnie and continued with the tour.

The amount of stores found in Sol is insane. El Corte Ingles, a department store, alone has 7 floors and that is just one store in the mist of many. Did I mention everything is on sale?! Had to refrain since it was only my first day. As we continued to walk, there were also many "Bars y Cafeterias" where you can grab some food and drinks. Word on the street is that on Wednesdays and Sunday nights most places have drinks for 1 euro. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

 There was a convent that we passed by during the tour, where the nuns have vowed to never leave or see anyone but they apparently make candy to earn a living. To buy the candy, you have to knock on the door and speak through an intercom and say "Quiero dulce" ("I want candy") and then they let you in and hand you the candy on some sort of wheel... I know, I know not creepy at all right? I'm determined to try this candy one of these days though, so it should be interesting.

Once it got too cold, the RD Isabel took us to get hot chocolate, which to my surprise is not like the hot chocolate we drink in the U.S. It is basically like fondue and they dip churros in the chocolate. When they are finished with the churros they drink the remaining chocolate. This place is called San Gines Chocolateria and is very well known. The line to order was very long but also worth the wait.

That was basically my first day here in Spain. These past days have pretty much revolved around orientation of the program. I registered for classes and took a campus tour, which made me feel like a freshman again. However, I have ventured out with a couple of friends back to Sol and we managed to not get lost when using the metro system. There will be many more exciting trips to come and I will make sure to post more when I get a chance. Byeeee :)