El Laberinto Griego (1993)

An Interesting Twist of a Mystery

THE GREEK LABYRINTH (EL LABERTINO GRIEGO) has many fine things going for it. First the director Rafael Alcazar, who finds a fine mix of erotica and mystery that, makes this rather dark film alluring. Second, a cast of excellent actors which includes Eusebio Poncela, Omero Antonotti, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Terele Pavez, Fernando Guilla Cuervo and last but hardly least Penelope Cruz. This movie is almost 15 years old but it serves the sign-in values of some of these actors with subsequent staying power very well!
The Greek Labyrinth of the title references a handsome Greek dancer who has been the lover ('the man of my life') of a beautiful woman who has been seeking him with the aid of her male pal since his disappearance in Paris. She eventually hears that he is in Barcelona and so it's off to the magic city to engage a detective to follow the occult clues as to his whereabouts. The 'Greek" aspect of the dancer involves, of course, a reference to his bisexuality and the search for him uncovers subterfuge, gay lovers, wild dens of edgy people, all the while opening up the many windows of discovery both of the veracity of 'clues' in the mystery and the veracity of 'clues' in the lives of all the characters. This is a fine little caper with all manner of overtones that keep you guessing and smiling.
The film is in Spanish with English subtitles, but the Spanish seems out of synch or dubbed - something is very wrong with the sound coming from the characters. Once you adjust your visual of the moving lips not in synch with the spoken dialogue you can relax into a really good little film. March 31, 2004

An Interesting Twist of a Mystery

THE GREEK LABYRINTH (EL LABERTINO GRIEGO) has many fine things going for it. First the director Rafael Alcazar, who finds a fine mix of erotica and mystery that makes this rather dark film alluring. Second, a cast of excellent actors which includes Eusebio Poncela, Omero Antonotti, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Terele Pavez, Fernando Guilla Cuervo and last but hardly least Penelope Cruz. This movie is almost 15 years old but it serves the sign-in values of some of these actors with subsequent staying power very well!

The Greek Labyrinth of the title references a handsome Greek dancer who has been the lover ('the man of my life') of a beautiful woman who has been seeking him with the aid of her male pal since his disappearance in Paris. She eventually hears that he is in Barcelona and so it's off to the magic city to engage a detective to follow the occult clues as to his whereabouts. The 'Greek" aspect of the dancer involves, of course, a reference to his bisexuality and the search for him uncovers subterfuge, gay lovers, wild dens of edgy people, all the while opening up the many windows of discovery both of the veracity of 'clues' in the mystery and the veracity of 'clues' in the lives of all the characters. This is a fine little caper with all manner of overtones that keep you guessing and smiling.

The film is in Spanish with English subtitles, but the Spanish seems out of synch or dubbed - something is very wrong with the sound coming from the characters. Once you adjust your visual of the moving lips not in synch with the spoken dialogue you can relax into a really good little film. March 28, 2004

Young Penelope and Aitana

Older Spanish mystery movie, almost appears "made for TV"... Great scenes with a young Penelope Cruz and Aitana Sanchez Gijon (A Walk in the Clouds; Celos). The DVD does not have any way to turn off the English Subtitles. The translating on the English Subtitles was not done by someone who knew Spanish, they completely miss all the connotative meanings and "inside" jokes. A movie is always best in it's original language, I have never liked subtitles. There is quite a few well known Spanish actors and actresses, this makes the movie for me. June 24, 2003

Early La Pe(Penelope Cruz)

This is a Spanish mystery movie that reveals bits and pieces as the story develops but in the end builds up to a big let down. It is one of those that when all is said and done you say "That's it, it's over"! The story evolves around an attractive Spanish woman who is seeking an ex-lover who , you guessed it, happens to be Greek. In the opening sequence a robber is shot and it is thought it may have been the sought after Greek lover. The Spanish woman hires a rogue detective(a novel idea) to help her and of course he falls for her. The real reason for seeing (me anyway) this film is to get a glimpse a young Penelope Cruz. She is the daughter of the dectective and from the moment she enters the movie her presence is without doubt. Her opening scene is one which features a shot of faceless long legs descending a staircase to eventually reveal a scantilly clad Penelope Cruz in some the shortest short shorts imagineable. She plays the role of a precocious young daughter who has a thing for older men(plays into the plot) because her dad is always on a case. As for the storyline itself, it seems the mystery Greek is an artist with a lot of strange friends. As they search for the man they uncover homosexual lovers, drug addicts and old wild hippies who are still living la vida loca.The photography is interesting, especially in the more artsy scenes in the artist warehouse and the hippie party scenes. It is a somewhat convoluted plot at times,overall predictable and not very groundbreaking movie. As you go through the labyrinth you can quickly guess what has happened to the Greek artist if you've seen a mystery movie or two. Penelope Cruz and her pouting lips made the movie for me but otherwise it is an average movie. Recommended for fans of Penelope Cruz, even though she is not the leading lady, mostly to see her in one of her early roles. May 5, 2003

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