The Hunt (1966) - Carlos Saura

Well this film is usually cited as a landmark in Spanish cinema, and one that helped establish a national film culture in the wake of Franco. It also was the breakout film of Saura who became one of the central figures of Spanish film ever since. The film itself is disturbing in some of it's imagery. Watching the film you can see how certain elements of foreshadowing could clue us in on a Hollywood film, but you can't make the same generalizations here. There is an emminent danger throughout, and everyone is ripe for going crazy here. I was a little disgusted with some of the hunting scenes, because I may not be a vegetarian, but that doesn't mean I like to see rabits killed. I can't say this is Saura's best, not like I'm an expert on the man, but it may be his most important, and it helped to open the door for a great many Spanish language films in future years. I just wish my print had been a little bit better. Full of subtitles cut off by the screen, and faint hard to read titles on top of it. Not to mention just a generally bad negative, but such is the roll of the dice one has to take with the lost world of VHS.