Flyerplesys
Perfectly adorable
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Lela
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
hoapo
I can not agree with the review that brands this movie as a pretentious piece. Nevertheless I'm not absolutely positive about it. I think that you shouldn't miss it if you haven't read the book. The movie has very rare virtues - probably thanks to the genius of Ripstein -: the aforementioned cinematography is stunning (the shots on the riverside, the interior of the Colonel's house, etc.), the slow pace helps to create a unique atmosphere which is very suited to the subjects.Said this, I have quite a few objections, too: 1) Some allusions place the plot in a Mexican context, which is far away from the original one. 2) A lot of symbols from the novel (where almost everything has a symbolic value - thanks to the genius of Márquez): a) The apprehension of the wife for the rooster and for the Friday's mail with the pension extinguishes the very strong difference between husband and wife which is fundamental in the book; b) The introduction of the mortgage-theme marks a very single and unrepeated situation, although in the novel there is no such thing, the main point is the monotony of the status of the old couple. 3) In my view the wife (for example by going to the cinema and talking to the priest) has a less consistent character, but at the same time the political views of the Colonel and of the friends of his son are overly stressed. 4) The introduction of the lover's storyline weakens the tension (which is tried to be substituted with the mentioned political views' exposure) that proceeds of the reticence of the causes of the death of the son. 5) I may have forgotten some points for now, but, at last, if you speak Spanish and know something about its accents, the wife's talking will bother you a bit.I'm not saying at all that this is a bad piece, but having read the sublime book of Márquez, and as the movie is confessedly the cinematographic version of the novel (and in my opinion that takes away the complete separateness of the work of Ripstein), I can't help having these thoughts after watching it.
gonzo931
As many people know, Mexican cinema was very poor after the so-called Golden Age of the Mexican Cinema, fortunately, during the late 90's, and early 21st century, great movies like La Ley de Herodes, Bajo California, Amores Perros, Y Tu Mamá También and, of course, El Coronel No Tiene Quien le Escriba, appeared. El Coronel..., is a wonderful movie, that retells the classic story by Gabriel García Márquez, by eliminating the magic realism elements, and replacing them with the crude reality lived in Mexico, not only by people like the Colonel, who wait for their pensions, but by more than the half of the Mexican population, who live in complete poverty. The film's characters, satirically represent classic characters found in Mexican society, such as the nationalist Colonel, the cold and even ambitious priest, the hypocrite, but at the same time loyal compadre, the tolerant and patient wife, the hidden homosexual, etc. This movie, is a must-see if you want to know more about Mexican society, and specially, if you want to watch a gorgeous movie, by one of Mexico's finest directors
Didier (Didier-Becu)
Based on one of the books by Gabriel Marquez and it might be brilliant literature, this cinema-adaption really sucks as it's more like fighting against sleep rather than enjoying some cinematographic delices. The story is about an old couple whose son died and living a life that is heavily dominated by poverty, and wherein the main character is a cock that hopefully one day brings some money for a forthcoming cockfight. I am in no mood to spill more words on this useless pretentious piece, just perhaps that you can see Salma Hayek in here, but sitting 90 minutes in front of your screen for just that? No gracias.....
Andres Bermudez Lievano
This is a truly magnificent and heartwrenching film!!!! Ripstein's locations are spectacular, extremely detailed and well lit, the dialogue is extraordinarily García Márquez, no doubt about it. Fernando Luján and Marisa Paredes give us outstanding performances as the colonel and his wife.You must see it!!!
