The House of the Spirits

There's. nothing to say, hands down the best book I ever read!

This was a brilliant film in the same genre as Like Water for Chocolate, Love in the Time of Cholera, and In the Time of the Butterflies. I love films set in exotic locations, and sometimes feel that the US is unaware of Latin America and its vibrant culture. The casting was not quite to my taste as Glenn Close (too masculine) and Meryl Streep (too mannered and pretentious) are just about my least favorite actresses and Jeremey Irons is always suffering from self inflicted torture. I also thought that the actor who played the illegitimate son and Antonio Banderas should have switched roles, yet despite my personal preferences, everything in the film rose above them and I just loved it. They also captured the whimisical quality of the book in which the departed are still with us as spirits. The photography was superb, a feast for the eyes, and Hans Zimmer's score never intruded. I have long awaited this film released on DVD.So why did I only give it four stars? The DVD by Miramax and Echo Park did not have either captions or subtitles, and being seriously hearing impaired i.e 70% deaf, I rely on the captions. The lack of captions is inexcusable. As I have read the book I have an idea what is happening, but my enjoyment would be much greater if I knew what they were saying.

I don't know why one reviewer here is complaining so much about seven missing minutes and the lack of extras. This is one of our favorite films and for years we had to make do with my pan & scan VHS tape of 109 minutes. But even that tape seemed complete and coherent. I haven't read the novel but my wife who read it in English & in its original Spanish thought the filmmakers did a good job in condensing the elaborate story.We watched this so-called 'substandard' DVD and enjoyed the film more than before. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison with the tape but this longer version of 133 minutes seems better than ever. This widescreen version looked great on our new 42" TV. If you don't know what's missing in the 140 minute version, a debatable unnecessary prologue that I explain in detail on the COMMENTS section below, you won't care as we did. This film is one to watch again & again because of the many good performances enhanced by ageing makeup. Everyone who borrowed my tape loved this family saga about forgiveness and the cast. I expect the same reaction when they borrow my DVD. Buy it and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. As for the lack of extras - What do you expect for $6.99?? I'm happy the film is available at such a low price and plays better than my old tape. Meanwhile I can wait for a deluxe edition, hopefully a Criterion one.

Very long it confuse me

I heard of the book before the movie came out, but I never read her novel. I watched the movie and I love it. Recommend this movie.

One of my favorite books, loved the movie

This movie filled the book’s story line quite well!

This drama follows a family through several decades beginning in 1926 in La Dehesa, South America. During these decades the family goes through many changes and conflicts and so does the country. Due to the status of the family the changes and conflicts in the family and in the country effect each other. The plot covers social status, social climbing, social conflict, and social oppression, as will as political changes and conflicts. Mixed in with all of this, one of the main characters is clairvoyant. This plays into the plot but is not really a major contributor to the direction of the plot. She does, however, make a few predictions, her and two people with her see someone who is dead, and after her death she makes two ghostly visits to other members of the family.I found the first half of the movie somewhat mediocre, but the second half picked up to fair as both the family and political conflicts build.The movie contains one rape scene, it is not explicit in a truly sexual way as the two people are only seen from the shoulder up during sex, but the woman's breasts are seen when her blouse is ripped open. Later a prostitute is seen nude, but only her breasts are seen from the front, she is seen fully from the rear. A man is later seen nude from the rear through a thin curtain while having sex with his wife. A couple in their late teens are seen nude have sex on the ground by the river, they are seen fully only from a distance. There is also one torture sequence which includes sexual torture, but does not include nudity.There is also one non-sexual nude scene when a boy and girl around the age of six are skinny dipping together. Both children are seen fully both from the front and the rear, but mostly from some distance. The girl is briefly seen from the front somewhat closer.

Me encanta el realismo mágico.

I must say that as in nearly every transcription of a literary work into a film context this is of course as near as one can expectof any film director. For simple reasons: 1. time limit of a film unless it runs into epic proportions can only cope with the main story line which here, Bille August has done excellently as the authoress states in her assessment of the film. 2 the need for various reasons which the viewing public cannot always appreciate, the setting of the film making has to be elsewhere than the original setting of the story which unfolds in Chile. 3. The use, mainly perhaps for box office reasons , or for quality of acting ability, of American and British actors , even though well done to the best of their ability, for me failed to bring to life the authenticity of a completly South American context which I so loved in the novel. It gave an otherwordlyness to the story which was somewhat lacking in the film, where the story could have been set anywhere. Why couldn't the children be given greenish hair as in the book, that can't be difficult to achieve and gave a sense of strangeness to the childrens' characters from the beginning- a quality in Marquez of magical realism.However I would advocate buying this DVD as it is no longer available in the shops as room is constantly given to horrendous Hoillywood crap.

I had read the book and was reviewing the book with my book group and thought the film might help. I was disappointed. There were large gaps in the storyline. If you had not read the book and did not know the full story it would have been a good film

Always enjoy seeing meryl Streep such a wonderful actress. Winona Ryder was wonderful too and it is always a pleasure to see the gorgeous intense passionate Antonio Banderas. A very good film

Bought it for friends of my daughter, and they are delighted with it. Haven`t read it myself - but my daughter enjoyed it too, and as our tastes are very simlar, I`ll take it that it`s a good read!