Estarreado

The City of No Limits (En la Ciudad Sin Limites)
$14.98
I resisted this movie for a long time because the little I had heard about it, a family gathering around the bedside of the terminally ill father, sounded maudlin and uninteresting. However, after watching it, I have to say I found "En la ciudad sin l���mites" to be an excellent film.

The youngest son, Victor, is the only member of the large extended family who is more interested in his father's well being and peace of mind than in the possibility of a large inheritance. The dying man is suffering a bit of dementia and in his mind he is reliving events that occurred 40 years earlier when he was a member of a Communist cell hiding out in Paris to avoid retribution from the Franco government. There is genuine suspense and tension as Victor tries to make sense of his father's ramblings. He uncovers some long buried secrets as he works to resolve the mystery.

The entire cast is wonderful, but Leonardo Sbaraglia is the standout as Victor. (This film reunites Sbaraglia with his former "Plata Quemada" co-star, Leticia Br���dice.) Fernando Fern���n G���mez manages to be both aggravating and pathetic as the father, Max. Geraldine Chaplin, does an excellent job as Max's cold-hearted wife, Marie.

The DVD features include scene selection; language options for either the original Spanish soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital or a dubbed English soundtrack in stereo; subtitles are available in either English or Spanish. If you want to get the nuances of the actors' skills listen to the Spanish audio and use the English subtitles. Avoid the dubbed version - it sounds ridiculous. Not only does the English audio have all the emotional impact of an old "Speed Racer" cartoon, it's very abbreviated; even the subtitles convey more of the story line.

Recommended.

The City of No Limits ( En la ciudad sin l���mites ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
$22.99
Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Spanish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), Spanish ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Behind the scenes, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Max (Fernando Fern���n G���mez), the wealthy family patriarch and head of a pharmaceuticals business, is dying of cancer and has relocated from Madrid to a Paris hospital for treatment. The members of his family, including his wife, Marie (Geraldine Chaplin), have gathered around him there. Victor (Leonardo Sbaraglia), the youngest son and last to arrive in Paris, lives in Argentina and has no ties to the family business. He sees Max, who is becoming incoherent and confused, secretly throwing away his medicine, pretending to sleep, and attempting to escape from the hospital. Victor notices that Max appears to be afraid of something, but he can't tell if his fear is well founded or if he is just delusional. In the midst of family conflict and questions about the inheritance, Victor helps Max search for answers about a mysterious figure from his past who may or may not exist, while encountering opposition from other family members. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain, Goya Awards,

En la Ciudad Sin Limites
$14.98
I resisted this movie for a long time because the little I had heard about it, a family gathering around the bedside of the terminally ill father, sounded maudlin and uninteresting. However, after watching it, I have to say I found "En la ciudad sin l���mites" to be an excellent film.

The youngest son, Victor, is the only member of the large extended family who is more interested in his father's well being and peace of mind than in the possibility of a large inheritance. The dying man is suffering a bit of dementia and in his mind he is reliving events that occurred 40 years earlier when he was a member of a Communist cell hiding out in Paris to avoid retribution from the Franco government. There is genuine suspense and tension as Victor tries to make sense of his father's ramblings. He uncovers some long buried secrets as he works to resolve the mystery.

The entire cast is wonderful, but Leonardo Sbaraglia is the standout as Victor. (This film reunites Sbaraglia with his former "Plata Quemada" co-star, Leticia Br���dice.) Fernando Fern���n G���mez manages to be both aggravating and pathetic as the father, Max. Geraldine Chaplin, does an excellent job as Max's cold-hearted wife, Marie.

The DVD features include scene selection; language options for either the original Spanish soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital or a dubbed English soundtrack in stereo; subtitles are available in either English or Spanish. If you want to get the nuances of the actors' skills listen to the Spanish audio and use the English subtitles. Avoid the dubbed version - it sounds ridiculous. Not only does the English audio have all the emotional impact of an old "Speed Racer" cartoon, it's very abbreviated; even the subtitles convey more of the story line.

Recommended.