Live Flesh (Carne trémula) (1998)
88%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
11 wins & 15 nominations total
Live Flesh surveys the fallout from an act of violence with a mature melodrama that sees Pedro Almodóvar working in surprisingly restrained form
Live Flesh is a wild ride of a movie that starts with a single gunshot and ends with a five-way battle of wits. Pedro Almodovar’s direction is mature and assured, with a seductive cast that leaves most films in the dust. The hyper-masculine tendencies of Victor, played by Liberto Rabal, fuel the plot and lead to some pointed political statements that bruise. And let’s not forget the fact that Almodovar has made a wheelchair movie that’s actually enjoyable! Overall, Live Flesh is a must-see for anyone who loves a good revenge saga with a side of humor.
Production Company(ies)
Apple Original Films, Interscope Films, Lighthouse Management & Media,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Calle Arenal, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong sexuality, language and some drug content
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian
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Country of origin:Spain
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2016
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal, Ángela Molina, José Sancho, Penélope Cruz, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, written by Pedro Almodóvar, Ray Loriga, Ruth Rendell, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mike Clark, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Liam Lacey, Louis B Parks, David Denby, Giala Murray, Jan Stuart, Ruhaan Shah, Cole Smithey, David Noh, Ken Hanke, Javier Bardem as David, Francesca Neri as Elena, Liberto Rabal as Víctor Plaza, Ángela Molina as Clara, José Sancho as Sancho, Penélope Cruz as Isabel, wheelchair movie, melodrama, Spanish (Spain), Agustín Almodóvar produced
Worldwide gross: $1,785,901
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,277,380
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,293
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 357,402
US/Canada gross: $1,785,901
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,277,380
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,923
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,399
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $24,589
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,438
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Francesca Neri – Elena
Liberto Rabal – Víctor Plaza
Ángela Molina – Clara
José Sancho – Sancho
Penélope Cruz – Isabel
Director(s)
Pedro Almodóvar
Writer(s)
Pedro Almodóvar, Ray Loriga, Ruth Rendell
Producer(s)
Agustín Almodóvar
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
11 wins & 15 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (8)
A single ricochet gunshot propels the plot and dramatically alters the lives of the quintet. The result is a vengeful, five-way battle of wits.
January 9, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mike Clark
USA Today
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
The overall purpose of Live Flesh, the latest and reputedly most ‘mature’ work from Spanish bad-boy director Pedro Almodovar, remains engigmatic.
April 12, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Almodovar seems more assured here, confident that he can interest us without overt winking and tomfoolery.
January 1, 2000
Louis B. Parks
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Despite his erotic fixations, Pedro Almodvar is the cinema’s last true innocent.
January 1, 2000
David Denby
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
While despair underlies Almodovar’s film…the director attempts to lighten up with some misplaced jokes. These, though, are never any more than a brief respite from the irritating mess in which the characters embroil themselves.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/5
Giala Murray
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Few directors could bring together such a seductive collection of players for both women and men to revel in, then photograph them with an instinctive line into their sensuality that leaves most films, mainstream or porn, in the dust.
April 5, 2022
Jan Stuart
The Advocate
As Victor’s hyper-masculine tendencies fuel his actions, every character’s arc entangles more and more with one another. Liberto Rabal and Javier Bardem put on an immersive front and persona in this revenge saga.
April 29, 2020
Ruhaan Shah
Film Companion
[VIDEO ESSAY] Behind its soap opera appearance, Almodovar makes pointed political statements that bruise.
April 22, 2015 | Rating: A
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
The film also feels curiously underpopulated, unenlivened by any sparky character bits.
July 13, 2007
David Noh
Film Journal International
Very much an Almodovar picture with most of the anticipated outrageous occurrences intact.
October 11, 2006 | Rating: 4.5/5
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Pedro Almodovar has done something nearly unheard of: he has made a wheelchair movie without maudlin sentiment and overbearing importance. Even better, it’s actually rather enjoyable.
September 23, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid…
Plot
Pizza delivery man Victor is having an argument with Elena, whom he met a few days ago, but she was high then and doesn’t want to hear about him. Reacting to the noise, two cops, young David and older Sancho, arrive at the scene, the gun accidentally goes off.. Four years later David is a wheelchair basketball star, he’s married to Elena, Victor is released out of prison and their destinies begin to cross again.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Live Flesh.
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