Peppermint Frappe

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william k Intense psychological drama tells a slightly surreal, but also fascinating and creepy tale with a hint of both Bunuel and Hitchcock influence to it; Geraldine Chaplin is mesmerizing in a triple role. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely fascinating to see Saura employ elements of Buñuel's (and Hitchcock's) cinema, while making a work uniquely his own. As it does become obvious very early on that this is the influence coloring the film, the viewer can also see how Saura's own way of film-making is not superseded by it. You see many techniques he will continue to use and develop in his works to follow, but with a quirky, surrealist flavor: for example, the use of doubling, particularly with Geraldine Chaplin's roles, and other details like clothing. There is also an eeriness that comes from knowing it was filmed during the Franco regime, a political element that will become more explicit in Saura's subsequent works after the death of the dictator. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member good sixties art house pic Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Lots of downtime in this "mod" salute to Bunuel. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting bit of surrealism. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review eric b "Peppermint Frappe" ends with a dedication to Luis Bunuel, but the master's influence becomes obvious much earlier. The lecherous plot -- callous siren teases older fetishist -- comes straight from Bunuel's pet themes. The nod to "Vertigo" is also hard to miss. Julian (Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez) is a balding, middle-aged radiologist. Far from likable, he smokes too much and steadily glistens with an anxious sweat. He has a shy but beautiful assistant named Ana (Geraldine Chaplin, in her first of nine films with director Carlos Saura). Julian is reunited with his old friend Pablo (Alfredo Mayo), and is immediately consumed with Pablo's alluring wife Elena (Chaplin again, this time in a blonde wig). He has an image stuck in his mind of an exuberant, unidentified girl he saw beating a drum at a past regional celebration -- Elena is either that very girl, or just someone who resembles her (flashbacks supply Chaplin with a possible third role). But Julian doesn't care much about the truth. He's hooked either way. From there, his fixation only deepens. He courts Ana as a poor substitute, and obsessively goads her to adopt Elena's glamorous makeup, dress and hair. He even puts a drum in her hands. But it's only a matter of time before he turns back to Elena -- despite her marriage to Pablo. Elena senses his attraction and cruelly toys with him. Tension builds, and a happy resolution seems unlikely. "Peppermint Frappe" deviates little from Bunuel's playbook. The only strong difference is its prominent use of contemporary rock music. Bunuel typically rejected the comforts of musical scoring, but Saura has no such reservations. What's more, the film's central song, "The Incredible Miss Perryman," is marvelously catchy. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Peppermint Frappe

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