Dvd/150: MUJERES AL BORDE DE UN ATAQUE DE NERVIOS (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown) (Pedro Almodóvar, 1988)

30 years on, the film that catapulted Almodóvar to international acclaim still glows with colour, fun and warmth.

Pepa is desperate... she's burned the bed, filled the Gazpacho with tranquilizers and ripped the phone out because her lover Ivan has left her and is not returning her calls....

But she is interrupted by her friend Candela, on the run now the police have arrested her lover as a terrorist, and Carlos and Marisa who arrive to view the flat...   and Carlos is Ivan's estranged son.  Outside, Ivan's wife Lucia, institutionalized for 20 years after he left her, is out for revenge...

Almodóvar allows the farce to develop at it's own unforced pace which allow you to fully appreciate Carmen Maura's magnificent performance as Pepa.

Almodóvar's glorious ensemble includes Julieta Serrano (Lucia), Antonio Banderas (Carlos), Rossy de Palma (Marisa), Maria Barranco (Candela), Fernando Guillén (Ivan) and Kiti Manver as his lover.

Shelf or charity shop?  As long as I have a shelf... this will be on it!
 

 

Last night Pedro Almódovar joined the cast - including Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti - and director Bartlett Sher of the new Broadway musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN which of course is based on his 1988 comedy classic.

Pedro, I'd bank that cheque now... here's a sampling of the reviews:

New York Times: ...(the cast) here seem to be preoccupied with other matters, like where they'll be having dinner after the show. In that sense, I identified with them completely.

USA Today: ...(Lupone) like many on WOMEN ON THE VERGE's illustrious team, deserves better. So do audiences.

LA Times: Pepa.. is played here by Sherie Rene Scott, a charming musical theater musical star but one with about as much Mediterranean earthiness as Barbara Bush or Paris Hilton.

Time Out: There's a 20-foot-high recipe for gazpacho printed on the curtain... If only a giant recipe for making a decent musical had been available to the makers of this major Broadway letdown.

Oops.