¡Ay, Carmela! (PG) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM & English Subtitles

¡Ay, Carmela! (PG, 1990) Presented in 35mm Film & English Subtitles by The Revival House Perth

During the Spanish Civil War, traveling entertainers Carmela (Carmen Maura) and Paulino (Andrés Pajares), along with their mute assistant Gustavete, find themselves accidentally crossing into Nationalist-held territory while touring with their vaudeville troupe to entertain Republican soldiers. Captured by Franco's forces, the pair are given a stark choice: perform a propaganda show for their captors or face execution. As Carmela and Paulino navigate the absurd and increasingly dangerous demands placed upon them, their fierce loyalty to their Republican convictions clashes with the desperate need to survive, forcing Carmela toward an act of defiance that will determine both their fates. This screening presents the original Spanish audio with English subtitles.

Director Carlos Saura blends dark comedy, tragedy, and political commentary to create a poignant meditation on art, resistance, and the human cost of war. Carmen Maura delivers a luminous, fiercely committed performance as Carmela, capturing both her character's comic vitality and her mounting moral courage in the face of fascist oppression. Saura's direction moves fluidly between the vaudevillian energy of the troupe's performances and the grim realities surrounding them, using theatrical spectacle as a lens through which to examine complicity, courage, and conscience under authoritarian rule. The film stands as a powerful testament to the Spanish Civil War's enduring legacy, using its central performers' plight to explore broader questions about art's capacity for both collaboration and resistance.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film and English subtitles unless noted otherwise.

When: Saturday, September 5th at 2:00PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: PG (Low level coarse language, Violence)