The Confessions of Amans (film)
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| The Confessions of Amans | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gregory Nava |
| Produced by | Anna Thomas Gregory Nava |
| Written by | Gregory Nava Anna Thomas |
| Starring | William Bryan |
| Cinematography | Gregory Nava |
| Editing by | Gregory Nava |
| Distributed by | American Film Institute Bauer International |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1977 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $24,000 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Confessions of Amans is an American 1977 16mm film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and his then newly wed wife Anna Thomas.[1]
The picture was partly funded by the American Film Institute.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
This costume drama, set in medieval Spain, is about an itinerant student of philosophy hired by an uneducated Lord to tutor his wife.
Soon, the newly employed teacher tragically falls in love with his student.
[edit] Background
The film was produced in Spain and made on an estimated shoestring budget of $24,000 according to Roger Ebert.[2] Nava used English stage performers for a cast. And, Nava and Thomas, in order to save money, used costumes and props left over from Samuel Bronston's El Cid said Vincent Canby. Film locations include castles of ancient Segovia, Spain.
[edit] Exhibition
The Confessions of Amans was first presented in 1976 at the Chicago International Film Festival. Later in a limited release the film opened in New York, New York on November 17, 1977.
[edit] Critical reception
Critics liked the film. Vincent Canby writing for the The New York Times said, "The Confessions of Amans was a very beautiful film, though not an especially pretty one, a chilly, tightly disciplined tale of the tragic love affair of a young philosophy tutor and the wife of the lord of the manor. Like the great Robert Bresson, Mr. Nava appeared to be less interested in the heat of the passion of the lovers than in the succession of moral choices their passion represented."[3]
In addition, an unsigned film review written for the The New York Times said the movie "is a beautiful, muted film of the kind that takes some getting used to. People seldom raise their voices or lose control of themselves. Passion is expressed discreetly in glances or in the holding of hands."[4]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| United States: | Not Rated |
- William Bryan as Amans
- Michael St. John as Absalom
- Richard Gardener as Petrus
- Susannah MacMillan as Anne
- Leon Liberman as Arnolfo
- Feliciano Ituero Bravo as Nicholas
- Stephen Bateman as Landlord
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Hugo Award, Best First Feature Award, 1976.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Confessions of Amans at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, August 1, 2004.
- ^ Canby, Vincent. The New York Times, January 22, 1984.
- ^ The New York Times. Film review, "A Romance Of Medieval Spain," November 18, 1977.
