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A heartwarming story of family love and loyalty
by Edel Coffey
Staff Writer
“The Grandfather,” José Luis Garcia’s Oscar nominated film, is a heart-warming story of family love, loyalty and the struggles that often accompany these two.
The story centers around Don Rodrigo (Fernando Fernán-Gómez), the Count of Albrit, who after the death of his son, has returned penniless from America. Shortly before his son’s death, the Count received a letter suggesting that his daughter-in-law, Lucrecia, was not a loyal wife. The letter implied that Lucrecia had an affair with a painter and had his child. Motivated to discover who his legitimate grandchild is, the Count returns to his home and discovers more than he had anticipated.
Determining the identity of his real grandchild, however, is not as easy as Rodrigo expected. He is shunned and rejected by everyone, including his daughter-in-law. His efforts are hindered by the local politicians and Lucrecia’s allies, who are all working together to prevent Rodrigo from uncovering the secret of his lineage. Senén, assistant to Lucrecia, the local priest and some monks intoxicate Rodrigo and try to detain him in the monastery in order to put an end to his investigations. Rodrigo, however, is not put off that easily and is determined in his task.
The one person who seems willing to talk openly to Rodrigo is Don Pio Coronado. Played by the expressive Rafael Alonso, Pio is an aging schoolmaster, despised by his own grandchildren. He finds solace in two of his young female students, the daughters of Lucrecia. One of the girls is the Rodrigo’s true granddaughter, the other is the child of the painter.
The film questions the traditional notion that we need to be bound by blood to experience familial love and loyalty. In fact, as in the movie, better functioning families are often formed out of non-blood relatives, and it is sometimes preferred to blood-bound familial experiences.
As the film continues, Rodrigo becomes fond of both of Lucrecia’s girls. He tries to get them to reveal traits about themselves that might give him a hint as to who their fathers are. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that he loves both girls equally, and the question of pedigree is no longer an issue when determining his affections.
The film is wonderfully shot, with panoramic views of the Spanish coastline. The classic genre of the film draws strong comparisons with Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Senén plays a wonderful Polonius-- fawning, verbose and eventually humiliated for what he is. Lucrecia is an impressive queen, unfaithful to her late-husband, yet not void of remorse. Rodrigo and Pio are a great pair as Hamlet and Horatio and even get to ponder suicide. Rodrigo as the outcast prince, who is now considered mad, even goes so far as to quote “To be or not to be; that is the question.”
The film has a running time of two and a half-hours, which is on the long side. However, the touching sentimentality and comedic relief that is scattered throughout the film, as well as the captivating cinematography makes it well worth the time.
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