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Carlos Saura's IBERIA
Contributed by Sara Schieron
Sunday, 16 April 2006
The most recent film by Carlos Saura, the Spanish king of flamenco
films, IBERIA is a stylish and resonant non-narrative musical, named
for the Isaac Albeniz suite from which all the songs are taken. A
tribute to Albeniz who composed pieces inspired by each province of
Spain, this suite celebrates each distinct culture of the country while
also constructing a portrait of the "spirit" of the nation. The making
and release of this film mark the centennial of Albeniz's Iberia suite.
The dancing is as beautifully choreographed as the camera work, which in some places is nothing short of staggering. In the opening sequence, the explicitly dressed sound stage is occupied by mirrors that reflect the images of dancers located at disparate parts of the set. The camera, which sees the dancers and their reflections dollies away from its seclusion, cranes over the sound stage, seeing the musicians, the film equipment and the film crew all doing their respective jobs. This swooping shot travels between the troupe of dancers and integrates itself into their movements, exposing the preparation and the artifice of the ‘dances' that are to come.
Making use of genre tradition in a way that is very intelligent and highly flexible, IBERIA is neither a musical, nor a cultural expose, but rather, a mixture of traditions; a reinterpretation of forms and meanings that takes ownership of their culture and allows that culture to evolve. This reinterpretation spans the entire body of the film: each musical piece is extensively interpreted by the musicians; the dance pieces are collaborate mergings of ballet, flamenco, interpretive dance and other more experimental forms; the direction is self-aware to the point of being wantonly artificial. And all of these elements are vibrant and virile - creative in all of the meanings of the word. Experimentation is not only embraced in the dance and direction but pieces are choreographed with tools to deliberately compel ontological inquiry. Most notably, the film features a piece that contains some sparse music and focuses on a dancer in a nude bikini who seems to shape-shift behind a sheet of plastic. She uses this sheet in her motions, punching it, twisting it, sucking on it, and pulling on it with her arms, legs and face. Each of her motions, particularly those that involve her mouth as she gasps audibly behind the plastic sheet, cause brilliant light reflections that challenge the camera's exposure and intermittently blur and blow out, creating a different, interior kind of dance in the process. This piece, along with moments form other explicitly choreographed camera sequences, was (to my astonished memory) all one take.
In some places the film is awkwardly histrionic, in others places the film makes reference to dance films of the past and exposes the legacy of dance in film. Most notably, Saura evokes Maya Deren, using a technique that mimics the optical printing effects of THE VERY EYE OF NIGHT, and camera motions around "social situations" reminiscent of STUDY OF CHOREOGRAPHY FOR THE CAMERA. Though consistently aware of the legacy it follows, Saura makes pains to express the work of the film as a reinterpretation, not a rehashing of the legacy.
IBERIA proposes a beautiful rekindling of traditions, using an historically important Spanish composer's work as a springboard for the vibrant and dynamic evolution of a culture that celebrates its roots and revels in it's ownership of those roots. This film translates history, culture, music, dance, and, of course, film into usable histories that are beautiful, dynamic and very alive.
Festivals 
