- Actors: Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega, Xabier Elorriaga, Miguel Picazo
- Directors: Alejandro Amenábar
- Writers: Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil
- Producers: Alejandro Amenábar, Emiliano Otegui, Hans Burman, José Luis Cuerda, Julio Madurga
- Format: Import, PAL
- Language Spanish
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Tartan
- DVD Release Date: 26 Dec 2001
- Run Time: 125 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005UBKM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 71,924 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Alejandro Amenabar's first film Tesis has impressive restrain for a debut, as you might expect from the man who went on to make Open Your Eyes and The Others. It's also the most intelligent consideration of the urban myth of snuff films seen onscreen in recent years. Ana Torrent is a priggish young student writing a thesis on violence in movies and finds out more than she wants to know. From the opening shots of her fascinated attempt to see a suicide victim mashed on the Madrid metro to her ambivalent involvement with Chemo (Fele Martinez)--a sinister nerd, obsessed with collecting dubious videos--and her flirtation with one of their principal suspects, Torrent portrays a traditionally plucky heroine along with her darker, more complicit and self-destructive side. As in his later work, Amenabar achieves maximum terror with minimum effect--dark rooms, gazes averted from torture we never see--because of his rich sense of the complexity of human character. What terrifies us here is the sense of our own demons.
On the DVD: the DVD, which is presented in a 1.85:1 letterboxed video ratio and has Dolby Digital sound, comes with optional English subtitles, an intelligent, if slightly earnest documentary about the making of the film, a filmography, the theatrical trailer and a review article by the excellent Roger Clark. --Roz Kaveney
Video Description
DVD Special Features: Original theatrical trailer
Interactive menus
Star and Director Filmographies
Scene Selection
'Making of....' Documentary
Poster and artwork Gallery
Roger Clarke Film Notes
World Cinema Trailer Reel
Interactive menus
Star and Director Filmographies
Scene Selection
'Making of....' Documentary
Poster and artwork Gallery
Roger Clarke Film Notes
World Cinema Trailer Reel
Language: Spanish, Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English
Video Aspect Ratio: Letterboxed 1.85:1
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most tense film I have ever seen!,
By Dave Bishop "Dave Bishop" (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tesis [VHS] (VHS Tape)
After watching Abre Los Ojos at the cinema, I decided to watch other films that were directed by Alejandro Amenabar. This was his first film and is a thriller that has been unmatched by hollywood. The story is about a girl who discovers a "snuff" movie, and what happens to her as she tries to investigate the murder. Needless to say anyone who has watched Amenabars films before will understand it is full of twists and surprises and the finale is one of the most gripping, and genuinley shocking I have ever seen. Prepare for a sleepless night the first time you experience this film.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of twists,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tesis [DVD] [1996] (DVD)
A student studying violence in film happens upon a disturbing snuff movie, the subject of which is a girl who disappeared from the college 2 years ago. Plenty of suspense and plot twists to keep you interested before you find the real culprit. More conventional than Abre los ojos, but with some similar themes. Blurring reality and fantasy/nightmare.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Learning to kill,
By Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett "vampire lover" (Dracula's Crypt) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Tesis [DVD] [1996] (DVD)
Media student Angela(Ana Torrent) is conducting a thesis on Audiovisual Violence. Struggling a bit she enlists the help of an elderly Professor called Figueroa(Miguel Picazo) and misfit student Chema(Fele Martínez) who has a large collection of violent and porn films in his dingy flat. Figueroa visits the library to try to find examples of extreme violence on film. Instead he finds a secret room full of video cassettes. The next morning, Angela finds the Professor dead, having seemingly expired whilst watching a video. She steals the video and takes it to Chem's flat. Chema puts the video on, and a woman is being horribly tortured on screen. He calmly states that the footage is real and that he recognises the woman being murdered. Soon the unlikely duo, determined to find out the truth behind the death of the woman called Vanessa, concoct a cover story that will bring them closer to her friends. It is then that Angela meets the mysterious, unpredictable Bosco(Eduardo Noriega) and soon Angela is thrown into a living nightmare from which there seems to be no escape
This film is certainly one of the best treatments of the 'snuff film'. It is restrained and full of tension as it both explores the nature of violence and voyeurism and the various characters reactions and motivations. For the most part it manages to carefully shock the audience through very subtle little touches. However it does go slightly over the top during the climatic scenes, slipping too far over into melodrama and maybe giving the audience a few twists too many. A shame, as up until this point it had promised to be one of the best thrillers I had seen in quite a while. Still, it's still a very fine film and one I would recommend to everyone. Torrent and Noriega are both fine as Angela and Bosco respectively, but the real standout is Martinez who brings the character of Chema to life with a series of quirky little touches. The best scene in the whole film for me was when Chema and Angela first watch the 'snuff' film. Chema shows a mixture of excitement and revulsion whilst Angela , although saying that she can't watch it, manages to open a gap between her fingers so she can witness the horror unfolding on the screen. We, the viewers(voyeurs?) cannot see what is happening in the film, but the terrifying screams and Angela's face frozen in fear tell us all we need to know. Above all it is a very visually arresting film, so when the pace flags from time to time, the lush cinematography comes to the rescue. A very fine film with plenty of extras on the disc. 4 out of 5.
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