The Quince Tree Sun

El sol del membrillo

Spain

1992

133 Min

Color

1.37:1

Spanish

Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
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SCR Víctor Erice, Antonio López García

DP Javier Aguirresarobe, Ángel Luis Fernández

CAST Antonio López García, Marina Moreno, Enrique Gran, María López

SOUND Ricardo Steinberg

Cannes (In Competition): Jury Prize, FIPRESCI Prize, New York

Synopsis

In the autumn of 1990, renowned Spanish artist Antonio Lopez Garcia enters his Madrid studio and begins to assemble a large canvas for his new painting. The subject of his still life is a fruit laden quince tree in the courtyard. Lopez proves to be a meticulous craftsman. He drives three long poles into the ground around the perimeter of the tree and suspends a plumb line in order to determine the center of the painting. He runs a tube of white paint along a brick wall in the background to demarcate the median line. He stakes his painting stance with ground spikes. He marks the visual center of individual leaves and fruits to retain their compositional balance. For two brief hours each morning, the sun reflects from the roof and casts a majestic light against the upper portion of the quince tree, leaving the rest of the tree in shadow, and it is this phenomenon that Lopez attempts to capture in his painting. As Lopez struggles to preserve this wondrous moment, the process of life continues unhindered through changing climate, inclement weather, distracting building renovations, news of significant international events, and interruptive visits from friends and relatives. —Filmref.com

Director

Víctor Erice

Spanish director Victor Erice made two of his country’s most important and critically lauded films, El Espiritu de la Colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive) (1973) and Sur (The South) (1983). Erice had studied political science before entering the Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas in 1960. Shortly after graduation in 1963, he worked as a film critic and worked on the script for Antonio Eceiza’s El Proximo Otoño (Next Autumn) (1963). He also collaborated on Miguel Picazo’s Oscuros Sueños de Agosto (Dark Dreams of August) (1967). Influential producer Elías Querejeta provided Erice his first opportunity to direct by assigning him a chance to helm one of three episodes in Los Desafios (The Challenges) (1969). Following his success with El Sur, Erice became a prolific director of television commercials and worked uncredited on numerous other feature films. In 1992, Erice reemerged on the film scene with his dream-like documentary of painter Antonio Lopez’s quest for… read more

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Aquieu

21Dec11

Conversations between an artist and old friends. An artist and admirers. An artist and a tree...This is a film that reflects on art, life, the passage of time and what it is to inhabit a spirit and truth in artistic conception. There's a soft poetry to everything Erice does, an honesty and respect for his subjects that is infinitely rewarding if you take the time to appreciate his work.