Dir. Antonio Cuadri, Spain/UK/Portugal, 2007, 96 mins
Cast: Bernard Hill, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sienna Guillory, Philip Winchester, Joaquim de Almeida
Review By Richard Hawes
The international co-production The Heart of the Earth (El Corazón de la tierra) is a dramatic period saga that's beautifully shot and well acted.
Sadly denied big screen exposure in the UK, only now getting a straight-to-DVD release, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. Perhaps because of a lack of star power.
It's clear to see where the budget has been wisely spent and the recognisable ensemble are mostly excellent. Bernard Hill doesn't seem to get a great many key roles in films but he does an excellent job here, he effortlessly carries the first act, as a stereotypically cold-hearted businessman.
Also featuring the excellent Joaquim de Almeida and a sadly bland American love interest, the focus is very much on the female leads. Sienna Guillory, as the rebellious niece of said villain, and Colombian Catalina Sandino Moreno as her Spanish friend.
It's a love triangle story played out against the story of oppressed Spanish mining community in the early 1900s, but this is no Titanic. Romance provides an undercurrent but the focus is always on the struggle of the workers. Both female leads are haunted by the violent silencing of an uprising they witnesses as children in 1887.
Surprisingly short given its epic subject matter, The Heart of the Earth lacks originality and leans on a few too many well worn clichés but is well worth seeing for the lavish production values and mostly excellent performances.
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