Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)

Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)


Starring:Francisco Boira, Javier Cámara, Juan Fernández (XIII), Alberto Ferreiro, Gael García Bernal, Raúl García Forneiro, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lluís Homar, Roberto Hoyas, Francisco Maestre, Fele Martínez, Petra Martínez, Sara Montiel, Nacho Pérez, Sandra (XXVII), Leonor Watling
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve Wiecking
Viva Pedro - Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Pedro! Viva!
  • Great collection to have
  • VIVA PEDRO
  • You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous
  • It's about time Pedro's older (and best ) movies were available in USA format!
Viva Pedro - Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
Starring: Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
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ASIN: B000EAT24G
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodovar broke into the art-house mainstream with this wild, manic comedy about a gaggle of women and their various problems with men, be they married lovers, cheating husbands, fiancés, or terrorists. Almodovar's long-time leading lady, Carmen Maura, stars as an actress (famed for her laundry detergent commercial as the mother of a sloppy serial killer) who's just been dumped by her married lover. In the midst of trying to track him down for a face-to-face confrontation, she crosses paths with her lover's son (Antonio Banderas), his unbalanced wife (Julieta Serrano), and his new girlfriend (Kiti Manver). Adding more fuel to the fire is the hapless friend (Maria Barranco) who got involved with a Shiite terrorist and is now being hunted by the police. Almodovar, a master of farcical screwball comedy, manages to keep all these balls in the air in dizzy, hilarious style without once losing his momentum. Chock full of the director's over-the-top stylization, in terms of both story and sets, the film is a hilarious yet heartfelt marriage of kitsch and drama, verging on parody but never going entirely over the top. Maura is absolutely breathtaking as the unhinged lover, dispensing wise advice to others while trying to keep a semblance of sanity, and the supporting cast is quintessential Almodovar, including a brief but memorable turn by Banderas in what could have been a bland, go-nowhere role. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989. --Mark Englehart

All About My Mother After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. ----Bret Fetzer

Talk to Her
Writer-director Pedro Almodóvar makes another masterpiece with Talk to Her, his first film since the wonderful All About My Mother. Marco (Dario Grandinetti) is in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno (Javier Camara), a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia (Leonor Watling). From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time. The rich human empathy of Almodóvar's recent films is passionate, heartbreaking, intoxicating--there aren't enough adjectives to praise this remarkable filmmaker, who is at the height of his powers. Talk to Her is superb, with outstanding performances from all involved. --Bret Fetzer

The Flower of My Secret
Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar ( Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. -- Tom Keogh

Bad Education
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. -- Steve Wiecking

More Stills from Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection(click for larger image)




More Pedro Almodovar at Amazon.com


Songs of Almodóvar CD

Volver

The Films of Pedro Almodóvar

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Pedro! Viva!.......2007-05-14

I was familiar with the movies. They were part of a Retrospective about 6 yrs. ago at the Museum of the Moving Image. The box set is great!! The layout is fabulous. I had all the other movies except Matador. This is a must have for any Pedro fan. It is only missing High Heels, one of Pedro's best.

5 out of 5 stars Great collection to have.......2007-05-13

I am a big fan of director Pedro Almodovar's films and this collection of 8 of his best movies is a must-have. These timeless movies are presented in a nice, space-saving box. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any fan of Almodovar.

5 out of 5 stars VIVA PEDRO.......2007-05-12

Brilliant fimmaking, enormous vairety, lovely transfers. The material is difficult ot see. If you didn't catch these things when they were first released, you are up the creek. The theatrical reissue that was meant to promote the video release didn't last long enough for me to see but one of them. The dvds of most are out print, but I had LIVE FLESH, TALK TO HER and BAD EDUCATION on dvd and WOMEN ON THE VERGE on laser disc. But still, I had to have the set. Really terrific. got a good price at amazon Marketplace and i'm totlaly satisfied.

4 out of 5 stars You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous.......2007-05-01

A pretty good collection, if strangely inclusive of BAD EDUCATION, a recent film, with the older batch of films, mainly of 1980s. This could be because LAW OF DESIRE's film director character is a forerunner of the film director in the later film. The problem is in reviewing the collection or the individual films. For instance, there are 3 documentaries on the filmmaker included on an extra disk. Otherwise the movies are presented w/English subtitle options but no extras, except for one of them.

Almodovar's style as a whole is for wildly improbable plots involving situations and characters that run of the mill people would never experience. American film reviewers love this, as they love French farce, and so give these films a free pass, awarding a blue ribbon. The true question is whether the same films would be as highly reviewed if the identical screenplay were presented as a solely American product.

Almodovar's film staples include (on the 8 films represented in this package): (1) Penelope Cruz going into labor (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER; LIVE FLESH). (2) The homely guy is always slick, a real winner, at least professionally, and sometimes a film director (BAD EDUCATION; LAW OF DESIRE). (3) There's always strained theatrical moments, such as presentations of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, that take up much screen time, and often are comical without being meant to be. Ditto a usage of older films that his characters seem to be greatly influenced by. (4) The cute guy, who in real life would probably be greatly sought after as a romantic partner, is always a loser who becomes obsessed with another person or thing to the detriment of everything else (LIVE FLESH; LAW OF DESIRE; BAD EDUCATION). (5) Usage of FF nudity is primarily male. (6) Everyone in the world (or at least Spain) is personally acquainted with a transexual or transvestite.

Briefly, on the films themselves, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER is a tear-jerker that goes to extremes and unfortunately goes on way too long. Good acting, but improbable characters and their life histories make this film an experience to endure.

BAD EDUCATION has the superlative Gael Garcia Bernal in it, and is also a blatant indictment of the Catholic Church's methods. The twists and turns in the plot make it worthwhile as well as uniformly good performances. Unusual film from this director, who usually focusses more on the women. For those squeamish of homosexual content, this film is not nearly as explicit as LAW OF DESIRE.

LAW OF DESIRE has the young Antonio Banderas seducing/seduced by a film director whom he is obsessed with. There is FF nudity from Banderas and others. Rather interesting, not quite a thriller, but an ending that brings the story-line full circle in a way. Rather a moral on how what you're looking for may be staring you in the face but you have to be prepared to take it. I found the plot weak whenever it got into the ancillary characters, as they were unnecessary to the main plot but presumably there to soften the main character of the film director.

LIVE FLESH is an unbelievable situation of a young man from prison subsequently having affairs with two police officers' (one of whom he'd shot and crippled) wives. Unfortunately this plot was wholly predictable though improbable. Too many cliches of drunken criminal cop abusing wife, etc. At times seems it was meant to be a music video, and should have been, with pop songs used as narrative.

TALK TO HER, generally considered one of the more popular Almodovar films, and a quiet, sincere character piece. I could easily have lived without the scene of the shrunken man interacting with a woman's nude body; that was outrageous for the fun of it, I guess. But from what appeared to be a would-be homosexual union between two men veered in another direction that also made the ending quite believable. It set up cliches only to knock them down.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN has provided me an obsession with gazpacho that has haunted me to this day. I didn't watch it again via this collection, but realized I have no memories of the film from first seeing it, except that it was fun; so that tells me nothing of the plot is essential, and I probably didn't identify with the characters.

THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is weird, as it takes off from the scenario of ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, which isn't a good thing. It's about a writer's crisis, this time her own self-conceit being played out on a public stage, as she is both a well known author but also writes under a pseudonyn attacking her own work. Meanwhile, her marriage is falling apart. So she's really a woman having an identity crisis, as an artist, and as a woman. Maybe it takes a person who's undergone an identity crisis to understand this one.

MATADOR can be summed as "Can two serial killers find happiness in death with each other?" Add Banderas as a sexually confused young man who appears to have occasional perfect-radar psychic abilities and a young woman who's been sexually assaulted three times and is quite casual about it, and a closeted gay detective, and a psychiatrist who wants to seduce basically anybody, and you pretty much have a would-be psychology thriller very confused about what's going on. The film has the confusion one would expect from a wholly improvisational piece, like the director was making it up as they went along in the filming. I am blinded by the idea any of these characters would even exist in real life, except for the detective, so find it amazing they'd actually be stumbling into each other's orbit. A fun movie to spend some time on, as it is an entertaining mix of psychological motivations and I guess you can breathe easy nobody like this lives on your block.



5 out of 5 stars It's about time Pedro's older (and best ) movies were available in USA format!.......2007-04-24

I have been an Amoldovar fan for more than twenty years (at least). I'm glad that he's gotten more American recognition now, but his older movies are still my favorites ( and so hard to find not that I'm no longer in a big city with great art and foreign film theaters. I'm so glad this incredible collection is finally available! (Not to mention that Matador and Law of Desire are some of the best acting Banderas has ever done!)
Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • La Mala Educacion
  • Good movie
  • "Sara Is Beautiful"
  • A Bad Education makes for a Great Film
  • the long-term effects of living a lie
Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)
Starring: Francisco Boira , Javier Cámara , Juan Fernández (XIII) , Alberto Ferreiro , and Gael García Bernal
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
SpainSpain | By Country | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
SpanishSpanish | By Original Language | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
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ReligionReligion | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
Young LoveYoung Love | Love & Romance | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0007OCG5G
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve Wiecking

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars La Mala Educacion.......2007-05-16

I hate long-winded reviews in the case of films that really just need to be seen, so I'll suffice to say that it had incredible twists and turns, stunning acting, gorgeous Jean-Paul Gaultier wardrobe and is definitely worth owning. Gael Garcia-Bernal is absolutely amazing and is an actor to be reckoned with.

I have a love for films that make people uncomfortable, and this doesn't disappoint in that respect. Another Almoldovar winner.

4 out of 5 stars Good movie.......2007-05-14

Good script with a few "suprises", good acting, beautiful film. I watch it over & over.

3 out of 5 stars "Sara Is Beautiful".......2007-05-11


"Bad Education" is a remarkable film - drama/ thriller/neo-noir with many surprises, with an interesting structure: it takes place in the present and tells the story about the past, presents the story as a film within the film, then mixes past and present together in a twisted turn. It's been said a lot about Gael García Bernal's performance (or should I say, three performances) - he is a triple star of the film, and he looks great as a woman (transsexual/drag queen) and a man. He is a talented actor, too. There is a lot to admire in perhaps, the most personal Almodovar's film but it felt strangely remote and cold to me. The one moment that brought some memories back and I felt that I was connected with the film was a scene where two young characters, Ignacio and Enrique went to see the movie "Esa mujer" (1969) with one of the most stunning Spanish movie stars and singers, Sara Montiel. The boy Ignacio whispered in awe, "Sara is beautiful." I had the pleasure to see Sara in two films, La Reina del chantecler, (1962) and Mi último tango (1960)... aka My Last Tango and I can confirm that she could make any movie worth of watching.

5 out of 5 stars A Bad Education makes for a Great Film.......2007-04-26

Bad Education is that rare kind of film that matches stunning cinematography with a twisting, multi-faceted story, and brilliant acting. I guess I'm not supposed to expect anything less from director Pedro Almodovar, but I don't know that much about him or his work (aside from Volver), so I'm still pleasantly surprised.

Bad Education is a multi-layered story, but the title comes from the childhood romance (and I do mean childhood) of two young boys in a Catholic school, one of whom is in a disturbing "relationship" with a priest; the kind that are finally coming to light in the last decade. When the two boys begin to spend more time together, one of them is expelled from the school, and the other continues to be molested. This is the "bad education" that the title speaks of.

The rest of the film is an intense examination of the effects of such a childhood and the creation of a film based around this childhood. Gael Garcia Bernal is captivating in so many ways in this film, but to reveal too much about his character would be a detriment to the viewer's ability to enjoy the film.

The story plays out in ever more dramatic ways and becomes more and more intense for the viewer and the actors as more information is revealed and more plot twists surface. The story within the story continues to unfold as well, and is equally captivating.

This is the kind of film that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys quality filmmaking, acting, and storytelling.

4 out of 5 stars the long-term effects of living a lie.......2007-04-22

spains great pedro almodovar has another triumph in this meditation upon identity and betrayal, as one brother assumes the persona of his dead sibling in order to deceive the now successful childhood friend and lover of his now-dead brother. ok, im not really explaining it well, but almodovar and his cast do a much better job of it than i do in this at times shocking and always disconcerting take on just what perversion REALLY means
Fantastic Planet
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Don't Panic!
  • Jennifer Drake?
  • AMAZING Film, TERRIBLE version of it
  • "Can I keep him, father?"
  • public domain
Fantastic Planet
Starring: Janet Waldo , Barry Bostwick , Jennifer Drake (III) , Hal Smith , and Hubert de Lapparent
Director: René Laloux
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 6305307156
Release Date: 1999-02-16

Amazon.com

Based on French science fiction novelist Stefan Wul's Oms en Serie ("Oms by the Dozen"), René Laloux's La Planète Sauvage (its title changed to Fantastic Planet for the U.S. release) paints an animated tale of humans kept as domesticated pets by an alien race of blue humanoid giants called Traags. The story takes place on the Traags' planet Ygam, where we follow our narrator, an Om called Terr, from infancy to adulthood, when he escapes his subjugation with a Traag learning device with which to educate the savage Oms and incite them to revolt. As a French-Czech coproduction, this story had much resonance for its makers as an allegory of Czechoslovakia's invasion by Soviet troops in the late '60s, and had to be completed in Paris due to political pressure. While the story does not distinguish itself in the annals of science fiction, the imagination invested in the surreal backdrops, with its eerie creatures and landscapes, does. The animation technique--moving paper cutouts across backgrounds--contributes to the overall feeling of other-worldliness. Fantastic Planet won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Included on the DVD are three early short subjects by Laloux showing his evolution toward Fantastic Planet. You have your choice of audio: French with English subtitles, or English with English subtitles. But choose the latter so you can see how much the subtitles are cheating you. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Don't Panic!.......2006-09-15

If you are dismayed by the revelation that the U.S. Anchor Bay DVD edition of this animated sci-fi classic is now out of print and only available via typically price-gouging independent sellers, I have good news. There is a lovely new UK-issued edition out in summer of 2006 that I was able to pick up at one of my more discriminating local video stores (I see you can also order through Amazon UK). This latest reissue (from the Eureka studio) features an anamorphic transfer of the film. Unfortunately, the film has still not been restored, so there are artifacts and "dirt" here and there; but after an "A/B" comparison with my old Anchor Bay copy, I discerned a definite improvement. Another plus: the Eureka edition gives you the option of deleting the subtitles if you wish. Also included: The complete soundtrack (audio only) and two short films by director Laloux-"L'Escargot" (from 1965) and a beautiful 1987 piece based on a Chinese parable, "Comment Wang-Fo Fut Sauve" ("L'Escargot" was also included on the Anchor Bay release; "Wang-Fo" was not). There are two other Laloux shorts on the Anchor Bay release which are not on the new UK package, so I suppose that still gives the Anchor Bay version some degree of collectibility. For overall quality, however I would recommend the Eureka edition. The only caveat: it does require a multi-region player.

5 out of 5 stars Jennifer Drake?.......2006-07-24

Thirty years ago I fell in love with a "Voice"...the Hypnotic (but meaningless!).."The Uvas of Gome are dominated by an inland fibulous sea.."etc., and wonderfully, the subtitles generally say something different again! If this was intended as allegory, I suppose that we ARE "hypnotised" by repetition in our youth, so that we are reluctant to QUESTION...It is an ironic joke therefore, that for 30 yrs. I have actually longed to be once again hypnotised by this Beautiful Voice: a veritable Siren-Song.BUT..who IS Jennifer Drake?.Does anyone know?There MIGHT have been a record version of this soundtrack at one time, because all the music is SO "familiar"..but then, so is the imagery...it's as if it has been secretly playing in my deeper mind all these years. Incidentally I got the VHS tape. Does the DVD mention THE VOICE?

1 out of 5 stars AMAZING Film, TERRIBLE version of it.......2006-06-10

This film is completely spellbinding and amazing. The Terry Gilliam/Monty Python-esque animation is totally stunning. The only PROBLEM is that this is a HORRIBLE, I repeat HORRIBLE, version of it. I own a VHS copy and was thrilled when it first came out onto DVD, but little did I know my VHS VERSION IS ACTUALLY SUPERIOR. The color on the VHS version is better and on the DVD release YOU CANNOT TURN OFF THE SUBTITLES!! The subtitles even overlay the picture and do not stay in the black letterbox bars and at times DO NOT EVEN MATCH THE DIALOGUE OF THE CHARACTERS. I cannot BELIEVE this is going for $99 now when it's such a horrible version of the film. Save your money and buy the VHS version! The DVD is only in stereo anyway, so you won't lose any sound quality. I really hope another distributor gains the rights to this film and releases a version worthy of its caliber as the masterpiece it actually is, because this version is so substandard it makes me sick.

5 out of 5 stars "Can I keep him, father?".......2006-03-10

This is only film I can think of that is actually better dubbed in English. When the blue girl says in that creepy little voice, "Can I keep him, father?" it gives me chills, every time. And the computer's silky hypnotic repetition, "...while our mallian globes regulate the pressure..." Hilarious. This movie is so beautiful -- the music, the colors, the designs. It's audio/visual candy. I love the scene where the blue girl sits in front of her mirror and draws lash lines under one eye. Was that an homage to "A Clockwork Orange" or the other way around? This film is a must for anyone that's into trippy/arty/70's kind of stuff.

5 out of 5 stars public domain.......2006-01-28

Great film - and in public domain! I have several duplicate copies for sale (DVD quality) way below the used prices on here. No one should have to pay so much for this masterpiece!! I am also interested in trading.
Bad Education (R-Rated Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • La Mala Educacion
  • Good movie
  • "Sara Is Beautiful"
  • A Bad Education makes for a Great Film
  • the long-term effects of living a lie
Bad Education (R-Rated Edition)
Starring: Francisco Boira , Javier Cámara , Juan Fernández (XIII) , Alberto Ferreiro , and Gael García Bernal
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007XBM7U
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve Wiecking

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars La Mala Educacion.......2007-05-16

I hate long-winded reviews in the case of films that really just need to be seen, so I'll suffice to say that it had incredible twists and turns, stunning acting, gorgeous Jean-Paul Gaultier wardrobe and is definitely worth owning. Gael Garcia-Bernal is absolutely amazing and is an actor to be reckoned with.

I have a love for films that make people uncomfortable, and this doesn't disappoint in that respect. Another Almoldovar winner.

4 out of 5 stars Good movie.......2007-05-14

Good script with a few "suprises", good acting, beautiful film. I watch it over & over.

3 out of 5 stars "Sara Is Beautiful".......2007-05-11


"Bad Education" is a remarkable film - drama/ thriller/neo-noir with many surprises, with an interesting structure: it takes place in the present and tells the story about the past, presents the story as a film within the film, then mixes past and present together in a twisted turn. It's been said a lot about Gael García Bernal's performance (or should I say, three performances) - he is a triple star of the film, and he looks great as a woman (transsexual/drag queen) and a man. He is a talented actor, too. There is a lot to admire in perhaps, the most personal Almodovar's film but it felt strangely remote and cold to me. The one moment that brought some memories back and I felt that I was connected with the film was a scene where two young characters, Ignacio and Enrique went to see the movie "Esa mujer" (1969) with one of the most stunning Spanish movie stars and singers, Sara Montiel. The boy Ignacio whispered in awe, "Sara is beautiful." I had the pleasure to see Sara in two films, La Reina del chantecler, (1962) and Mi último tango (1960)... aka My Last Tango and I can confirm that she could make any movie worth of watching.

5 out of 5 stars A Bad Education makes for a Great Film.......2007-04-26

Bad Education is that rare kind of film that matches stunning cinematography with a twisting, multi-faceted story, and brilliant acting. I guess I'm not supposed to expect anything less from director Pedro Almodovar, but I don't know that much about him or his work (aside from Volver), so I'm still pleasantly surprised.

Bad Education is a multi-layered story, but the title comes from the childhood romance (and I do mean childhood) of two young boys in a Catholic school, one of whom is in a disturbing "relationship" with a priest; the kind that are finally coming to light in the last decade. When the two boys begin to spend more time together, one of them is expelled from the school, and the other continues to be molested. This is the "bad education" that the title speaks of.

The rest of the film is an intense examination of the effects of such a childhood and the creation of a film based around this childhood. Gael Garcia Bernal is captivating in so many ways in this film, but to reveal too much about his character would be a detriment to the viewer's ability to enjoy the film.

The story plays out in ever more dramatic ways and becomes more and more intense for the viewer and the actors as more information is revealed and more plot twists surface. The story within the story continues to unfold as well, and is equally captivating.

This is the kind of film that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys quality filmmaking, acting, and storytelling.

4 out of 5 stars the long-term effects of living a lie.......2007-04-22

spains great pedro almodovar has another triumph in this meditation upon identity and betrayal, as one brother assumes the persona of his dead sibling in order to deceive the now successful childhood friend and lover of his now-dead brother. ok, im not really explaining it well, but almodovar and his cast do a much better job of it than i do in this at times shocking and always disconcerting take on just what perversion REALLY means
Bad Education [Non-US, PAL, Region 2, Import]
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Bad Education [Non-US, PAL, Region 2, Import]
    Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal , Fele Martinez , and Daniel Gimenez Cacho
    Director: Pedro Almodovar
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    Product Features:
    • Special Features:
    • Making Of Montage
    • Interview With Pedro Almodovar
    • Deleted Scenes
    • TV Spots and Trailers

    ASIN: B000L37X2O

    Product Description

    Academy Award winning filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar takes a look at his own adolescence as well as confronting the issue of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church in this stylish thriller, which was chosen to open the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Bad Education narrates the reunion of two young men in early 80s Madrid, as the city starts to breathe a new air of freedom. Fifteen years earlier, in the darkness of a Catholic school, the two young men had discovered sensuality and a common hatred of the priests from whom they received their bad education. Now, in the new and liberated Madrid, both men a film-maker and an aspiring actor revisit their early years together. As they try to uncover the truth about themselves, each other and the other characters in their story, they realise that things and people are not as they first seem.
    Bad Education (Original Spanish Version - with English Subtitles)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Bad Education (Original Spanish Version - with English Subtitles)

      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

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      ASIN: B000NPISP6
      Take Note - episode #5: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
      Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
      • Wanting for more
      Take Note - episode #5: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

      Manufacturer: CustomFlix
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      ( T )( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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      ASIN: B000H2NHO2
      Release Date: 2006-07-24

      Description

      Big Bad Voodoo Daddy may be best know for it's performance in the 1997 Miramax film, "Swingers" but they've also sold over a million CDs, performed during half-time at the Super Bowl, performed on the Late Show, Tonight Show, Good Morning America and more; not to mention their Grammy. August 17, 2003: Scotty and Glen take time out of their busy tour schedule to talk with Take Note. They discuss the tour schedule, the gear and crew required. Scotty and some of the guys in the band play vintage instruments. Find out some of the differences between studio musicians and live musicians. Learn about song writing and of course digital vs. analog recording.

      Customer Reviews:

      2 out of 5 stars Wanting for more.......2007-04-11

      I'm a BBVD fan, but was disapointed on this one. Too much talk and not enough Voodoo.
      Charlie Rose with Warren Hoge & William Luers; Senator Norm Coleman; Gael Garcia Bernal. (December 3, 2004)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Charlie Rose with Warren Hoge & William Luers; Senator Norm Coleman; Gael Garcia Bernal. (December 3, 2004)

        Manufacturer: "Charlie Rose, Inc."
        ProductGroup: DVD
        Binding: DVD

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        ASIN: B000GAKUNG
        Release Date: 2006-11-02

        Description

        A discussion about the oil-for-food scandal at the United Nations with Warren Hoge of The New York Times and William Luers, President & CEO of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) has called for the resignation of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He shares his perspective on the United Nations and the oil-for-food scandal. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal has given two acclaimed performances in recent months. In The Motorcycle Diaries, he plays a young Ernesto Che Guevara. In Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education, he takes on multiple characters, including Zahara, a drug-addicted transvestite.
        La Mala Educacion (Bad Education) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD, Import-Latin America]
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          La Mala Educacion (Bad Education) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD, Import-Latin America]
          Director: Pedro Almodovar
          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD

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          ASIN: B000JYZK8Y
          Pedro Almodovar 5-DVD Collection (Bad Education; Talk To Her; All About My Mother; Live Flesh; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Pedro Almodovar 5-DVD Collection (Bad Education; Talk To Her; All About My Mother; Live Flesh; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
            Director: Pedro Almodovar
            Manufacturer: Fox
            ProductGroup: DVD
            Binding: DVD

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            ASIN: B000FVXU06

            Product Description

            "Great Britain 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), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SYNOPSIS: This 5-DVD Collection contains 5 Almodovar's movies: Bad Education (La Mala educación): In the early 60s, two boys - Ignacio and Enrique - discover love, movies and fear in a Christian school. Father Manolo, the school principal and Literature teacher, both witnesses and takes part in these discoveries. The three characters come against one another twice again, in the late 70s and in 1980... Talk To Her (Hable con ella): Marco, a journalist grieving for a love affair that ended ten years' ago, falls in love with Lydia, a bullfighter also on the rebound. Benigno, a nurse, dedicates his life to his only patient, a young dancer in a coma as a result of an accident four years' before; he talks to her, reads to her, holds photographs in front of her closed eyes. Does a miracle await? All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre): A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child... Live Flesh (Carne trémula): Pizza delivery man Victor is having an argument with Elena, whom he met a few days ago, but she was high then and doesn't want to hear about him. Reacting to the noise, two cops, young David and older Sancho, arrive at the scene, the gun accidentally goes off... Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!): Ricky is released from a mental hospital, and knows exactly what he wants to do. He hunts down Marina, a porn film star he once had sex with, and tries to convince here to be his wife. She is a bit reluctant, so he ties her up... Will this approach endear him to her ? SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, "

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