I love this movie so much

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Major Disappointment

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

Saura's love for flamenco (and formidable ability for capturing it on film) is well-established, and here he presents it pure and unadorned. Hundreds of musicians, singers and dancers provide an uninterrupted series of flamenco performances in all its forms and styles. The talent is dazzling and the passion is infectious, it's a marvelous tribute with glorious photography by Storaro, backlighting the performers in warm oranges and cool blues on sparse stages. There is one problem, though. For the first 20 minutes, it's electrifying and exhilarating, and I thought I might be watching a new favorite. But then the next 40 minutes are far too ballad-heavy. Although the material is very good, it kind of sucks the energy out of the room. Anyone who's ever sequenced an album, or even made a mixtape, knows you don't clump a bunch of slow songs together. Fortunately, the remainder of the film is more evenly paced with a much better mix of uptempo and downbeat. Although that slow stretch keeps the movie from being a masterpiece for me, overall I was delighted, and it made me want to pick up my guitar.

This movie is a fantastic piece. You should enjoy the ambience inside of that hall. The dancers and the music is great, it's authentic. This movie is good for everybody how knows that flamenco is a spanish dance. See this movie and you'll know that flamenco is a way of life.

This film could have been quite good if only there'd been some explanation--of the performers, the culture, the songs, the country... Anything. But there was nothing beyond a line or two at the very outset. From that point forward, it was nothing more than music videos. One performance after another, with no more information than the song name provided. As a fan of flamenco who knows very little about the culture it arose out of, I'd have appreciated much more background info. Buena Vista Social Club, a film in the same genre, did this beautifully. It detailed the performers, the history of the music, the songs. Because it did none of this, Flamenco was boring. What is more, the camera work is at times quite awful. Why the extended, extreme tonsil-shot closeups of singers?

This brilliant work by Carlos Saura is a marvel to view.The lighting of the simple sets is stunning while the performers show the development and the history of the flamenco.The music, the dancing and as said before the lighting of the sets are breathtaking. An other companion film to watch would be Carmen by Carlos Saura one of my all time favorites. In Flamenco I would have liked to have seen a little more pair-dancing.