Alatriste

Alatriste is a 2006 Spanish historical film directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, based on the main character of a series of novels written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Adventures of Captain Alatriste (Las aventuras del Capitán Alatriste).

The film, which stars Viggo Mortensen, is the second most expensive Spanish-language film ever made in Spain (about €24 million – US$30 million); only preceded by Agora. It portrays Spain of the 17th century using both fictional and real characters. Twentieth Century Fox has bought the rights to the film.

Plot

The story takes place during the 17th century in the Spanish Empire. Diego Alatriste is a soldier in the service of King Felipe IV, during the Eighty Years War. The story begins in the Netherlands, where the tercio of Diego Alatriste fights against the Dutch during the Dutch Revolt. Lope Balboa (father of Íñigo and friend of the captain) is killed here. Diego decides to return to Madrid where he receives the young Íñigo Balboa in his care. He is hired, along with a Sicilian assassin named Gualterio Malatesta to kill the Prince of Wales (future King Charles I of England) and his companion, the Duke of Buckingham. The job is contracted by Emilio Bocanegra and Luis de Alquézar (uncle of Íñigo's love interest - Angélica de Alquézar). Alatriste finally returns to the Netherlands in 1624 (although the movie says it's 1625) and participates in the final battles leading to Breda's surrender. After the return to Spain, Íñigo wants to elope with Angélica, but she gets cold feet at the last moment. Alatriste has a romance with actress María de Castro, who was the lover of Philip IV and he ends up crossing swords with Gualdamedina, a friend of the king. In the end, the object of their attention gets sick with syphilis. The duel with his friend Martín Saldaña and the punishment of Íñigo in the galleys are part of the film's spectacular ending. The last scenes are at the Battle of Rocroi (May 1643), described in the last book of the long and entertaining saga The Adventures of Captain Alatriste, a book that has not been published as of 2008. During the battle Abel Moreno Gómez's "La Madrugá" is playing as the defeated army's march and this is where it is assumed that the old Captain Diego Alatriste dies.

The plot of the film has elements from each of the five books published up to the premiere, and it maintains the same storyline for the main characters. It includes excerpts from the future books of the saga. If the movie plot coincides with the desire of the author it should all end in Rocroi thus leaving enough material for three more books.

Cast

• Viggo Mortensen as Captain Diego Alatriste
• Javier Cámara as the Count-Duke of Olivares
• Eduardo Noriega as the Count of Guadalmedina
• Juan Echanove as the writer Francisco de Quevedo
• Unax Ugalde as Íñigo de Balboa, Alatriste's Basque squire
• Elena Anaya as Angélica de Alquézar, a teenaged femme fatale
• Ariadna Gil as María de Castro
• Francesc Garrido as policeman Saldaña
• Blanca Portillo as the inquisitor fray Emilio Bocanegra
• Paco Tous as Francisco de Melo

Antonio Resines, originally slated to appear as Saldaña, almost retired from the entire movie due to a traffic accident; however, he makes a cameo appearance in the Battle of Rocroi as a musketeer officer.

The film was released on 1 September 2006.

Awards and nominations

The Goya Awards, are Spain's main national film awards, considered the Spanish equivalent to the American Academy Awards. The film was awarded and nominated for the following categories of Goya Awards for 2006 films:

External links

• Alatriste at the Internet Movie Database
• Alatriste at AllRovi
• Official Arturo Pérez-Reverte's website (Spanish)