Luna de Miel

Bust A Move — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:10:50 +0000

Luna de Miel is a 1959 film by the British director-writer Michael Powell based in part on the ballet El Amor Brujo by Gregorio Martínez Sierra. The film stars Anthony Steel, Ludmilla Tchérina and Spanish ballet dancer Antonio, and features Léonide Massine. In the United Kingdom it was retitled Honeymoon, and has been shown as The Lovers of Teruel in the United States.

The film is something of a travelogue around Spain with dance interludes, mainly set to the repeated theme of The Honeymoon Song by Mikis Theodorakis. Performed in the film by Marino Marini and his quartet, it was subsequently recorded by many performers, including The Beatles.

Production

After his partnership with Emeric Pressburger ended, Michael Powell looked around for other projects and was enticed to Spain to make a film that, it was hoped, would do for flamenco and Spanish ballet what The Red Shoes had done for ballet. There were many problems during the production, mainly due to the lack of available finances. In one non-fiscal incident, Powell’s car was stolen and as the thieves were chased they crashed the car and died in the crash.

Awards and honors

At the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, Luna de Miel won the Technical Grand Prize. Also, director Michael Powell was nominated for the Golden Palm Award.

Subsequent history

Ludmilla Tchérina liked the final ballet, Los Amantes de Teruel , so much that she incorporated it into her regular stage performances. With the help of director Raymond Rouleau, it was turned into a film Les Amants de Teruel (1962).

The film was cut for television in the U.K., and this version was the only one available for many years. The cuts were mainly to some of the extended dance sequences, leaving it as little more than a travelogue. This led to the film getting a bad reputation.

The film was fully restored from its original elements by Charles Doble of Somerset, and the restored film had its first public screening at the San Sebastián Film Festival in 2002 in the presence of Rosita Sergova, one of the stars of the film. It was first shown in the U.K. in Ashbrittle, Somerset on 21 June 2003^.

Music

Music used in Luda de Miel includes:

“Anononio’s Zapatedo” – composed by Sarasate, arranged by Leonard Salzedo
“Honeymoon Song” – by Mikis Theodorakis, arranged by Angela Morley (as Wally Stott), performed by Marino Marini and his quartet
El Amor Brujo (ballet) – music by Manuel de Falla, story by Carlos Fernandez Shaw, choreography by Antonio
Los Amantes de Teruel (ballet) – music by Mikis Theodorakis^.

Cast