Interesting and thought-provoking drama set during Spanish Civil War and filmed on wonderful landscapes from Galicia . For a kid named Moncho (Manuel Lozano) starts a new life , he begins school , there he has a sensible and aging teacher named Don Gregorio (Fernando Fernan Gomez) , a Republican veteran like his daddy . He makes a friend in the little village called Roque , Moncho starts to figure out some mysteries about life , and , with his older brother, a budding saxophone player, he makes a voyage with the band called ¨The Blue Orchestra¨ from their village around in Galicia . He soon journeys into adulthood through a friendship with his teacher , forming bonds with new friends and walking on the idyllic fields . Armed with a rebellious nature, opposes life lessons from his father and his love for a little girl will open doors to a world of sensitive feelings that will make her trip turns into a tender , vital and unforgettable experience but also tragic . The screen livens up as love blossoms between Moncho and his little girlfriend and as a love for a teacher becomes evident and finally risked . But it's also the year that the Spanish Republic comes under fire from Franco revolt and country growing apart. As sides are drawn and power falls clearly to one side , the forces of fright , rebellion and treason alter profoundly what should be the pleasure of growing-up .
Drama with historical and romantic elements ; including enjoyable performances and adequate set design . ¨Tongue of Butterflies¨¨ results to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds regarding the Civil War background . A familiar theme about the global horrors of a fratricide war , impossible to forget to our cinema . An agreeable coming-of-age story plenty of enjoyable moments , moving feelings and tragic finale . Director Jose Luis Cuerda , also writes the interesting script along with prestigious screenwriter Rafael Azcona , Luis Garcia Berlanga's usual . Filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . The flick can be defined as a realistic tragedy-drama , a romantic history , a historic fresco and a socio-political fable . The main problem has to face , beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging , some slow-moving scenes and including some surprisingly and inadequate sexual scenes . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes joyful as well as sad flick , though also contains humorous and enjoyable moments as when the children are gathered and play and enjoy themselves , the unforgettable scenes when the oldest brother plays saxophone in the presence of a Chinese girl and of course the stirring and moving ending . Anyway, it's is compensated with the great performances from Fernando Fernan Gomez and and the boy Manuel Lozano , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Jose Luis Cuerda is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries as Uxia Blanco , Gonzalo Uriarte , Elena Fernandez Guillermo , ¨Willy¨, Toledo, among others ; all of them forming a powerful human group of support cast and giving excellent interpretations . Special mention to magnificent musical score by Alejandro Amenabar who composes an evocative as well as sensitive musical score . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Javier Salmones and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . Shot on north of Spain, where have been filmed the gorgeous landscapes , marvelously reflected on location in Ourense , Galicia . The film won several Goya Awards -Spanish Oscar- such as : Goya Best Screenplay - Adapted to Rafael Azcona , José Luis Cuerda and Manuel Rivas , Nominated Goya Best Actor Fernando Fernán Gómez , Best Cinematography to Javier Salmones and Best Costume Design to Sonia Grande , Best Editing to Ignacio Cayetano and Best Director to José Luis Cuerda and Best Film .
This Fernando Bovaira production was professionally written/produced by Jose Luis Cuerda who also efficiently directed and resulted to get an acceptable success at Spanish Box office . Cuerda is a veteran professional , being his film debut ¨Pares and Nones¨ a typical Madrid comedy . He subsequently directed ¨El Bosque Animado¨ also with script by notorious Rafael Azcona and based on Wenceslao Fernandez Florez's novel . His most personal movies were two comedies with a peculiar and surrealist sense of humor titled ¨Amanece Que no Es Poco¨ and ¨Asi en el Cielo Como en Tierra¨. He followed directing failures as a drama titled ¨Viuda de Capitan Contreras¨ and more comedies as ¨La Marrana¨ and ¨Tocando Fondo¨ . His greatest success corresponds as producer , as he produced hits for Alejandro Amenabar as ¨Tesis¨ and ¨Abre Los Ojos¨, among others . This highly-acclaimed and successful movie titled ¨Lengua De Mariposas¨ has a rating as ¨better than average¨ , it's a beautiful and powerful film . Two thumbs up .
