Frankenstein makes an appearance in Vรญctor Ericeยs The Spirit of the Beehive (El Espรญritu de la Colmena), but he isnยt the movieยs monster. That role is filled by Spainยs 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 townยs 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 ย 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
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.