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The House of the Spirits

Play trailer Poster for The House of the Spirits R 1993 2h 18m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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32% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A rancher (Jeremy Irons), his clairvoyant wife (Meryl Streep) and their family face turbulent years in South America.
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The House of the Spirits

The House of the Spirits

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Critics Consensus

An enviable collection of sterling actors are all woefully miscast in The House of the Spirits, a plodding saga of magical realism that lacks much magic or realism.

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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek The greatest actors in the world can't overcome a script that boils everything down to the Esperanto of cliche. May 22, 2018 Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine The thing works in its goofy way, mainly because Bille August is a man of apparently dauntless conviction. He has written and directed every scene with serene authority. May 20, 2013 Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune The flaws aren't fatal. The beauty and brilliance that might have been, don't preclude the quality and bravery that exist on the screen. Rated: 2.5/4 May 20, 2013 Full Review Jeff Simon Buffalo News It's artsy polyglot baloney. Not house that's this divided against itself could possibly stand. Rated: 2/5 Feb 29, 2024 Full Review Robin Holabird Robin Holabird Director Bille August creates striking visuals, and her standout cast never fails to hold attention, though it fails to catch Allende's nuance as a writer. Aug 11, 2021 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant Nearly every magic detail, many key characters and half a generation has been sacrificed to clarify the plot. But so much has been cut away that only the skeleton of the story remains. May 22, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Zane T Despite its failures to cast proper South American actors in the main roles the film does have a tragic story, a great score by Zimmer, great cinematography, and terffic actors with good acting especially from Jeremy Irons. Sadly the film uses white actors to as the main characters with any international actors like Banderas being a side/supporting character who does not have a big part until the third act of the film. It is also very out-dated how they made the Spanish speaking workers just slaves/workers/farmers for the white family. Salma Hayek who auditioned for this film was also rejected. Banderas who isn't Latin American origin rather Spanish would still be a better lead actor in this film than any of the white actors they chose for the leads. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/24/25 Full Review Flavio B I cried in some scenes. Fantastic rendition from Meryl and the rest of the cast. The is a lot going on in the movie, and I seriously don´t understand the bad ratings... It is still one of my favorite movies. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/08/25 Full Review Audience Member Such accomplished actors wasted in this movie, badly directed,bad script. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/21/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/11/25 Full Review Audience Member One of the best movies of all time! Cast is amazing! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/17/25 Full Review Alessandro G A summary of a good story does not necessarily make a good film. A wonderful cast forced to follow a cold report concerning the tragic Chilean twentieth century. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The House of the Spirits

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Cast & Crew

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Bille August

Director

Meryl Streep

Clara del Valle Trueba

Jeremy Irons

Esteban Trueba

Glenn Close

Férula Trueba

Winona Ryder

Blanca Trueba

Antonio Banderas

Pedro Tercero García
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The House of the Spirits

The House of the Spirits (1993) The House of the Spirits (1993) The House of the Spirits (1993) The House of the Spirits (1993) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A rancher (Jeremy Irons), his clairvoyant wife (Meryl Streep) and their family face turbulent years in South America.
Director
Bille August
Producer
Bernd Eichinger
Screenwriter
Bille August
Production Co
Lionsgate, Neue Constantin Film, House of Spirits Film, Costa do Castelo Filmes
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 8, 2016
Runtime
2h 18m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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