Belle epoque (Fernando Trueba, 1992)

Belle Epoque," a hot-blooded human comedy from Spain, is indebted equally to Jean Renoir's more bucolic films and to all those old jokes about the farmer's daughter. The farmer in this case is a droll old painter, and he is the father of four pretty, flirtatious and conveniently lonely young women.
The story's traveling salesman, so to speak, is Fernando, a deserter from the Spanish army in the winter of 1930-31. And as the film unfolds, Fernando is made to feel extraordinarily welcome by each and every member of the household. That sounds smirky, but "Belle Epoque" isn't blunt or simple. This warmly inviting film, with its serene mood and leafy, idyllic backdrop, is clever enough to avoid settling the question of whether Fernando is a brazen adventurer or simply a boy toy.


Fernando Trueba, the director of "Belle Epoque," is a former critic whose taste for pastoral French films manifests itself in appealingly unpretentious ways. Mr. Trueba's film may not expose the underpinnings of its characters' lives as knowingly as Renoir's "Rules of the Game" does, but it certainly grasps the allure of straw hats and riverbanks on a summer's day. ("A Day in the Country," Renoir's short film based on a story by Guy de Maupassant, and a work itself influenced by the Impressionist paintings of the director's father, is Mr. Trueba's more specific inspiration here.)

"Belle Epoque," which is suggestive rather than graphic in its sexual interludes, rarely addresses questions more complex than how a helpful young man can comfort a young woman who lies weeping in her silken underwear. Still, it's a subtler film than its storyline suggests, thanks in large part to Mr. Trueba's skillful cast. As Fernando, Jorge Sanz is occasionally goaded into a wide-eyed overreaction, but he has the aplomb to carry off a tricky role. Among the sisters, Ms. Verdu is a deft comedienne who makes the most of Rocio's flounciness. Ms. Gil, with a steely intensity and the looks of a waifish fashion model, makes an equally strong impression. The screenplay's insistence that her Violeta is "a man" in spirit is its most blatantly manipulative trick.
"Belle Epoque is rated R (Under 17 requires parent or adult guardian). It includes brief nudity and sexual situations. Belle Epoque Directed by Fernando Trueba; written by Rafael Azcona (in Spanish with English subtitles), based on a story by Mr. Azcona, Jose Luis Garcia Sanchez and Mr. Trueba; director of photography, Jose Luis Alcaine; edited by Carmen Frias; music by Antoine Duhamel; produced by Mr. Trueba, Lola Films, Animatografo and French Production, with the cooperation of Sogepaq and Eurimages; released by Sony Pictures Classics. Running time: 108 minutes. This film is rated R. Fernando . . . Jorge Sanz Manolo . . . Fernando Fernan Gomez Rocio . . . Maribel Verdu Violeta . . . Ariadna Gil Clara . . . Miriam Diaz-Aroca Luz . . . Penelope Cruz Mother . . . Mary Carmen Ramirez Danglard . . . Michel Galabru Juanito . . . Gabino Diego