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Volver (Almodovar) [DVD] [2006]
 
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Volver (Almodovar) [DVD] [2006]

DVD ~ Penelope Cruz
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo
  • Directors: Pedro Almodovar
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language Spanish
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 12 Feb 2007
  • Run Time: 116 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000KF0WXA
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,740 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.com
Spanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar’s 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
Following the passing away of their mother in a fire, Raimunda (Penelope Cruz, VANILLA SKY) and Sole (Lola Duenas, TALK TO HER), leave their home town of La Mancha to live in Madrid. Raimunda lives with her daughter and unsupportive husband, taking on menial jobs, while Sole works in secret as a hairdresser. The only member of their family to remain in La Mancha is their Aunt Paula, who speaks of their deceased mum as if she were alive. The sisters also visit their friend Augustina, who remains devastated by the death of the mother. When Paula dies, the situation changes and the sisters find themselves communicating with their apparently deceased mother. Pedro Almodovar directs this mysterious and suspenseful film with panache and Penelope Cruz--with the enhancement of a prosthetic backside--shines in a sparkling performance.

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Customer Reviews

45 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars ensemble excellence, 4 Nov 2007
By William Rycroft "blogs @ Just William's Luck" (Hertfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I believe this is the third time that Penelope Cruz has worked with Pedro Almodovar and whilst she may have given some terrible performances in English (and been eclipsed for a while by the media nightmare that is a relationship with the other Cruise) she proves herself to be a quite exceptional actress in Volver.

Meaning 'The Return' Volver begins in the village of Alcanfor de las Infantas; a superstitious place, where it is said that the East Wind drives many inhabitants insane. Raimunda (Cruz), her daughter and her sister Soledad have come to visit the grave of their mother who was killed in a fire with her husband. Whilst there they visit their aunt Paula who, a little senile and through milk-bottle glasses, tells them that their mother is alive and living with her. Back home in Madrid, Raimunda comes home from work one day to find her daughter looking disturbed. She has stabbed the man she thought to be her father after he drunkenly tried to rape her. Whilst she deals with this Raimunda is called by her sister to be told their aunt has died. It is when returning from the funeral on her own that Soledad hears the voice of her mother calling her from the boot of the car.

The performances are all exceptional (the six actresses shared the Best Actress award at Cannes in 2006) but Cruz really shines in her role. When her drunken husband masturbates beside her in bed, after she has shrugged off his advances, we see her look of surprise, disgust and sadness as a tear wells in her eye. Later in the film she sings the song Volver to a restaurant filled by a film crew wrap party and whilst she may only be lip syncing her performance had me doubting.

Almodovar has said that the film 'is precisely about death...More than about death itself, the screenplay talks about the rich culture that surrounds death in the region of La Mancha, where I was born. It is about the way (not tragic at all) in which various female characters, of different generations, deal with this culture.' I guess that just about covers it.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Back from the Dead, 30 Aug 2007
By P. C. Reynell (Bradford UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Right from the opening scene of women in the cemetary it is clear that we are in a woman's world.The murder of the worthless Paco and his disposal in a deep freeze suggests that men are peripheral or hostile. What matters is the delicate web of relationships between the women. The return of the dead mother introduces elements of phantasy and comedy suggesting the we should not be too solemn about it. Penelope Cruz is a formidable screen presence but the over-riding impression is of goodteamwork. A film enjoyable rather than profound.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The story of 3 generations of women and their struggle to survive wind, fire and death, 13 Feb 2007
By Ines Vasconcelos (Portugal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is simple story about 3 generations of women: the grandmother Irene(Carmen Maura), her daughters Raimunda (Penélope Cruz)and Sole (Lola Dueñas) and her granddaughter Paula(Yohana Cobo). It takes place mainly in Madrid, in a neighbourhood where various ethnic groups and people from the different provinces of Spain live, people who went to Madrid looking for a better tomorrow. Raimunda, Sole and Paula have to go back to their home town to praise the dead and meet one of their aunts, Tia Paula (Chus Lampreave). Soon the old aunt dies and unleashes a serious of mysterious events, their dead mother re-appears to settle some unresolved issues with her daughters and with her neighbour, Augustina (Blanca Portillo), revealing a past until then unknown. This is movie about the Spanish culture, homesickness, the culture of the death and the struggle of 4 women with strong character and strong personality traits to survive wind, fire and death. It is extremely well produced and has great photography as well as an unmatchable soundtrack. It is a very nice movie, filled with laughter and emotions and with a beautiful simplicity . If you are waiting for a Hollywood romance, a Hollywood comedy or a twisting complex plot, this might not be what you are looking for.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a highly entertaining but also deeply-moving masterpiece
Volver is a truly exceptional film and one well worth buying on DVD because it's the kind of film you're likely to want to watch time after time. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Joanna M. H. Dubois

3.0 out of 5 stars How not to dispose of a freezer
Volver is a restrained effort from this often flamboyant director. Unfortunately it's also one of his weakest. Read more
Published 4 months ago by sft

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a disappointment - but pleasantly enjoyable
I admire and enjoy the films of Almodovar, and was looking forward to this film. Sadly, for some obscure reason, reviewers, film festivals and movie awards panels seem to have... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tonkfan

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching story by Almodovar
Another one of Almodovar's brilliant works. Not his best, but still, not a disappointment in any way. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. R. S. Sahota

3.0 out of 5 stars Volver collapses under weight of its own ideas
As a Spain-ophile I love the idea of Pedro Almodovar and the Movida but when I watch the movies they never live up to the hype. Volver bites off a lot more than it can chew. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Catholic Taste

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining family saga - go on it's worth the effort
There is no doubtng the beauty of Penelope Cruz, but after a few dodgy English language films (Sahara, Vanilla Sky etc) her acting ability has seriously been called into queston... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. A. Chilcott

5.0 out of 5 stars Almodovar's most accomplished ...
... piece of cinema. Volver is the culminating film of Almodovar's return to the pastoral. His most self-reflexive film, Volver examines Spain's rural community, here La Mancha,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Toby

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cruz in great drama
Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky) stars as Raimunda, a woman who is trying to focus on multiple jobs, her family and the death of her mother. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Stampy

4.0 out of 5 stars More strong women please!
What a great film. My husband gave up after the first five minutes but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Penelope Cruz is stunning and all the female characters are wonderful. Read more
Published 15 months ago by M. Roberts

1.0 out of 5 stars Volver
I like quirky Spanish cinema but whilst I found the Spanish community interesting this couldn't hide the fact that there was no story to hang the film on. Read more
Published 17 months ago by kdog

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