The Heart of the Earth (Spanish: El corazón de la tierra) is a 2007 historical drama film directed by Antonio Cuadri from a screenplay he wrote with Shelley Miller, and Doc Comparato, based on the novel of the same name by Juan Cobos Wilkins. It is a Spanish-British-Portuguese co-production. Its cast features Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sienna Guillory, Philip Winchester, Bernard Hill, Joaquim de Almeida, Jorge Perugorría, and Ana Fernández, among others.
| The Heart of the Earth | |
|---|---|
 Spanish theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | El corazón de la tierra |
| Directed by | Antonio Cuadri |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | El corazón de la tierra by Juan Cobos Wilkins |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Javier Salmones |
| Edited by | Mercedes Cantero |
| Music by | Fernando Ortí Salvador |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Zeta Audiovisual |
Release dates |
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| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editThe plot is set against the backdrop of the February 1888 miners' protest in the Spanish province of Huelva stirred by Cuban anarchist revolutionary Maximiliano Tornet, which was bloodily repressed by the Spanish Army, and the miners' deplorable working conditions in the Río Tinto copper mines under British employees, following the plight of Blanca (a teacher) and her friend Kathleen Crown, the daughter of the tyrannical manager of the mines, fifteen years after the events.[1][2][3]
Cast
edit- Catalina Sandino Moreno as Blanca Bosco[4]
- Sienna Guillory as Kathleen[1]
- Philip Winchester as Robert[1]
- Bernard Hill as Mr. Crown[1]
- Joaquim de Almeida as Baxter[4]
- Ana Fernández as Mercedes[4]
- Jorge Perugorría as alcalde[4] ('Mayor')
- Fernando Ramallo as Carlos[1]
- Juan Fernández as Nazario Infante[2]
- Pablo Durán as Maximiliano Tornet[4]
- Elvira de Armiñán as Blanca Bosco (child)[4]
Release
editThe film premiered at the Miami Film Festival in March 2007.[5] It received a pre-screening in Riotinto and Seville on 10 April 2007.[5] Distributed by Zeta Audiovisual, it was released theatrically in Spain on 13 April 2007.[6]
Production
editThe Heart of the Earth is a Spanish-British-Portuguese co-production by Manufacturas Audiovisuales, Future Films, and Costa do Castelo, with the participation of Canal Sur, TV3, ETB, IC, IB3, TeleMadrid, Canal 9, and Canal+.[1] It boasted a €12.5 million budget.[7] Shooting locations included Linares de la Sierra, Minas de Riotinto, Trigueros, Portimão, and Madrid.[7]
Reception
editJonathan Holland of Variety wrote that despite the "superb" concept involving the tragic, real-life 19th-century suppression of the miners rebellion, "the script rushes through the historical facts in the first half-hour and then becomes far-fetched in its invented stretches".[1]
Javier Ocaña of El País assessed that despite Cuadri's "excellent camera handling" at shooting mining excavations and riots, as the film progresses, "the story becomes less and less transcendent, more and more Manichean and puerile".[8]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 11th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival | Best Film | Won | [9] | |
| 2008 | 22nd Goya Awards | Best Special Effects | Reyes Abades, Álex G. Ortoll | Nominated | [10] |
| Best Makeup and Hairstyles | José Quetglás, Blanca Sánchez | Nominated | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Holland, Jonathan (7 May 2007). "The Heart of the Earth". Variety.
- ^ a b "El drama humano". Diario Crítico. 13 April 2007.
- ^ "Catalina Sandino se incorpora al rodaje de ´Corazón Tierra´ de Cuadri". Levante-EMV. Prensa Ibérica. 29 April 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f "Canal Sur Televisión estrena en prime time 'El corazón de la tierra'". Andalucía Información. 27 February 2014.
- ^ a b "El filme ´El corazón de la tierra´, premiado en Los Angeles". Córdoba. Prensa Ibérica. 16 October 2007.
- ^ "El corazón de la Tierra (The Heart of the Earth) · España-Reino Unido 2007". Adaptaciones de la literatura española en el cine español. Referencias y bibliografía. Retrieved 8 October 2023 – via Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes.
- ^ a b "Los sucesos de las minas de Riotinto se llevan a la gran pantalla en "El corazón de la tierra"". ABC. 11 April 2007.
- ^ Ocaña, Javier (13 April 2007). "Épica española". El País.
- ^ Vallellano, Lucía (16 October 2007). "'El corazón de la tierra', mejor película del festival latino de Los Ángeles". El País.
- ^ "El corazón de la Tierra". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 8 October 2023.