The Spirit of the Beehive

Related Content

• 6th Annual Palestine Film Festival
  May 10, 2012
• The Mummy
  February 2, 2012
• MFAH Fine Art Food Trucks Perk Up Lunch in the Museum District
  April 17, 2012
• Upcoming Events: Asparagus, Honey and Dreams of Sushi
  April 13, 2012
• Tut, Tut
  March 8, 2012

More About

• Francisco Franco
• Espiritu de la Colmena
• Isabel Telleria
• Visual Arts
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Frankenstein makes an appearance in Víctor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive (El Espíritu de la Colmena), but he isn’t the movie’s monster. That role is filled by Spain’s dictator, Francisco Franco. Considered one of the best Spanish films of the 1970s, Spirit of the Beehive follows two young girls, Ana (played by Ana Torrent) and her older sister Isabel (Isabel Telleria), as they maneuver through life under the totalitarian rule of Franco. Living in the countryside so that their father can study bees, the girls are captivated when they see Boris Karloff in Frankenstein at the town’s makeshift movie house. Confused and upset, six-year-old Ana is worried about what happened to the monster after the film; to appease her sister, Isabel tells her the monster is alive and well — and living in a nearby barn. When the girls find a wounded soldier hiding in the barn, the stage is set for Ana to live out her own dramatic tale. 7 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium, 1001 Bissonnet. For tickets and information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Sat., Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m., 2007