Like so many of the other reviewers, I saw this film in the early eighties on BBC2 and have never managed to see it since. It's one of those films you see in your childhood and then later in life, wonder if you'd dreamt it. I'm glad to find I hadn't and that I'm one of a select band who remember that BBC2 showing!
It's a film you'd never forget once seen. Particularly the ending, which would disturb anyone, but especially an impressionable youngster. It's in that "surreal reality" style that Spanish filmmakers seem to do best and has continued since(eg 'Abre los ojos').
Although the first 45 minutes of the film portray what - to a degree - could be seen as "normality" (ie a man getting stuck in a phone box and the attempts to release him), I remember as a child a strange feel of unease throughout, even though I didn't know the ending. Maybe it's just my claustrophobia, but I think Antonio Mercero managed to maintain the ideal mix of "normality" and "strangeness" to keep you transfixed.
Quite why it's not been shown again on terrestrial in the UK is a mystery. Yes, it's disturbing, but so are a lot of films shown today. It's also a film of quality and one that I'd recommend to anyone who wants something different and something that will leave a lasting impression. Clearly from the points made by others this film does!
It's a film you'd never forget once seen. Particularly the ending, which would disturb anyone, but especially an impressionable youngster. It's in that "surreal reality" style that Spanish filmmakers seem to do best and has continued since(eg 'Abre los ojos').
Although the first 45 minutes of the film portray what - to a degree - could be seen as "normality" (ie a man getting stuck in a phone box and the attempts to release him), I remember as a child a strange feel of unease throughout, even though I didn't know the ending. Maybe it's just my claustrophobia, but I think Antonio Mercero managed to maintain the ideal mix of "normality" and "strangeness" to keep you transfixed.
Quite why it's not been shown again on terrestrial in the UK is a mystery. Yes, it's disturbing, but so are a lot of films shown today. It's also a film of quality and one that I'd recommend to anyone who wants something different and something that will leave a lasting impression. Clearly from the points made by others this film does!