''Honeymoon'' ( es, link=no, Luna de miel), also shown as ''The Lovers of Teruel'' in the United States, is a 1959 film by the British director-writer

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

based in part on the ballet ''El Amor Brujo'' by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first hal ...

. The film stars Anthony Steel,

Ludmilla Tchérina Ludmilla Tchérina (born Monique Tchemerzine; ; 10 October 1924 – 21 March 2004) was a French prima ballerina and actress. Biography Tchérina was born Monique Tchemerzine, into Circassian aristocracy as the daughter of Kabardian Prince Ave ...

and Spanish ballet dancer

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

, and features

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (russian: Леони́д Фёдорович Мя́син), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the wo ...

. The film functions as a travelogue around Spain with dance interludes, mainly set to the repeated theme of "The Honeymoon Song" by

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He Film score, scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek (film) ...

. Performed in the film by Marino Marini and his quartet, it was subsequently recorded by many performers, including

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. It is one of Powell's least regarded movies.

Plot

Ballet dancer Anna Cato (Ludmilla Tchérina) has just given up the ballet to marry Australian farmer Kit Kelly (Anthony Steel). They are touring Spain in their open top

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

for their honeymoon before going to live on the sheep station that Kit runs in Australia. An American car races past them at high speed but it soon has to stop to change a burst tyre. The car is driven by the famous Spanish dancer

and his wife Rosita Candelas (Rosita Sergova). They are a fiery couple, always arguing and when Antonio goes down to a stream to wash up after changing the tyre, Rosita drives away without him. Antonio, stranded in the middle of nowhere, starts dancing down the road in his well-known ''Zapateado''. Kit and Anna drive by and offer Antonio a lift. They drive in to the "Tavern del Toro", where Antonio is known, and start to eat a wonderful breakfast. Antonio thinks he has seen Anna before but she says that this is her first trip to Spain. One old lady pushes forward her daughter who she wants to dance for Antonio. Lucia ( Carmen Rojas) dances the ''El Macarona'' flamenco but then Antonio asks the musicians to play ''El Taranto'' to really see what she can do. Rosita turns up at the end of the flamenco and another argument ensues, so Kit and Anna slip away. After a delightful meal they retire to their room where Anna does her best to distract Kit from his book on ''Fertility and Animal Breeding''. Next day, after a bit more travelling around, Kit and Anna enter a bar – only to find Antonio is already there. They are introduced to the "cocktail set" and discover who Antonio is. Anna goes to Antonio's studio where they are rehearsing his new dance, '' Los amantes de Teruel'' (The Lovers of Teruel), as a classical ballet but with a Spanish style. When Anna makes some suggestions to help the ''pas de deux'' Antonio realises she is a dancer and at last discovers who she really is. As Anna dances with Antonio neither are aware that Kit has come to the studio and is watching, not very pleased that his wife is dancing again. Kit and Anna travel south to see the painting "

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz ''The Burial of the Count of Orgaz'' ( es, El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz) is a 1586 painting by El Greco, a prominent Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect of Greek origin. Widely considered among his finest works, it illustrates a popul ...

" by

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

. Kit declares that that is how Antonio's ballet should be staged. They then visit the Mosque at Córdoba and other places. Early the next morning Kit goes off to help a breeder of bulls with his round-up and Anna is taken to the

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

by Antonio. They dance around the palace in a light hearted flirtation and Anna declares that she really has given up the ballet and is willing to settle down with Kit. Antonio isn't so sure. When they go to join Kit there is a mild confrontation between Kit and Antonio. The film is building up to the two men representing Don Diego and Don Pedro, competing for the attentions of Doña Isabel in the story of ''Les amantes de Teruel'' which will be the finalé of the film. Kit and Anna go to see a performance of ''

El Amor Brujo ''El amor brujo'' (, "The sorcerer love") is a ballet by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for years it was attributed to her husband Gregorio Martínez Sierra. It exists in three versions as well as a p ...

'' (Bewitched Love). The story is that of a girl whose lover had died but who now haunts her and prevents her from getting on with her life and her new lover. The lead roles are danced by Antonio and Rosita, with a cameo from

as the ghost – Massine was over sixty years old at the time – and Lucia as the girl's friend who tries to lure the ghost away. The restored version contains the full ballet, a mixture of classical ballet and flamenco style. The next night, in

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with a ...

, the guide (the voice of

) explains the legend of the lovers of Teruel to Kit and Anna as they stand on the terrace looking at the statues. But Anna falls ill and develops a fever. In her fevered imagination she hallucinates the story of the Lovers of Teruel as a great ballet, with herself dancing the part of Doña Isabel and Antonio as Don Diego, her lover. Again a mix of classical ballet and Spanish style, with Antonio in Moorish make-up. The restoration contains the full ballet to the music of Manuel de Falla. The final funeral has the echoes of the El Greco painting the couple saw earlier. The next morning Antonio comes to visit Anna, now in hospital with Kit by her side. We learn that Anna and Kit will be off to Australia in a few days and Kit thinks that at last they have seen the last of Antonio. But no, he tells them he is starting a world tour!

Cast

* Anthony Steel as Kit Kelly *

as Anna *

as Antonio *

as "Der Geist" *Rosita Segovia as Rosita Candelas *Carmen Rojas as Lucia *María Gámez as Pepe Nieto *Diego Hurtado as Pepe Nieto *Juan Carmona as Pepe Nieto *María Carla Alcalá as Soloist Cast notes: *Director

's voice is used in the film for the guide describing the

Lovers of Teruel The Lovers of Teruel ( es, Los amantes de Teruel) is a romance story that is alleged to have taken place in 1217 in the city of Teruel (Aragón). Story In the city there were two important and wealthy families, Marcilla and Segura. Juan Diego ...

Music

Music used in ''Luna de miel'' includes: *"Antonio's Zapateado" – composed by

Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish (Navarrese) violin virtuoso, composer and conductor of the Romantic period. His best known works include ...

, arranged by

Leonard Salzedo Leonard Salzedo (24 September 1921 – 6 May 2000) was an English composer and conductor of Spanish descent. Salzedo was born in London. After some early lessons from William Lloyd Webber he went on to study composition under Herbert How ...

*" Honeymoon Song" – composed by

, lyrics by

William Sansom William Norman Trevor Sansom FRSL (18 January 1912 – 20 April 1976) was a British novelist, travel and short story writer known for his highly descriptive prose style. Profile Sansom was born in London, the third son of Ernest Brooks Sans ...

, arranged by

Angela Morley Angela Morley (10 March 192414 January 2009) was an English composer and conductor who became a familiar household name to BBC Radio listeners in the 1950s. She attributed her entry into composing and arranging largely to the influence and en ...

(as Wally Stott), performed by Marino Marini and his quartet *''

'' (ballet) – music by

, story by

Gregorio Martínez Sierra Gregorio Martínez Sierra (6 May 1881 – 1 October 1947) was a Spanish writer, poet, dramatist, and theatre director, a key figure in the revival of the Spanish theatrical avant-garde in the early twentieth century. Work as a poet and playwr ...

, choreography by

*'' Los amantes de Teruel'' (ballet) – music by

Production

After his partnership with

Emeric Pressburger Emeric Pressburger (born Imre József Pressburger; 5 December 19025 February 1988) was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a collaborat ...

ended, Michael Powell looked around for other projects and was enticed to Spain to make a film that, it was hoped, would do for

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

and Spanish ballet what '' The Red Shoes'' had done for ballet. There were many problems during the production, mainly due to the lack of available finances. In one non-fiscal incident, Powell's car was stolen and as the thieves were chased they crashed the car and died in the crash. Powell wrote in his memoirs that Luis Escobar wrote the lead roles for

Moira Shearer Moira Shearer King, Lady Kennedy (17 January 1926 – 31 January 2006), was an internationally renowned Scottish ballet, ballet dancer and actress. She was famous for her performances in Powell and Pressburger's ''The Red Shoes (1948 film), Th ...

and

Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Awards, Academy Award, Emmy Award, Emmy, and Tony Award, Tony for his ...

who turned it down. They ended up with Ludmilla Tcherina and Anthony Steel. "Good God... not Anthony Steel," wrote Powell, "the archetypal British shit. He was already grooming himself for the part of the English baronet, Sir Stephen in ''The Story of O'' and he brought

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...

with him too."

Awards and honours

At the

1959 Cannes Film Festival The 12th Cannes Film Festival was held from 30 April to 15 May 1959. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Orfeu Negro'' by Marcel Camus. The festival opened with '' Les Quatre Cents Coups'', directed by François Truffaut and closed with ''The Diary of An ...

, ''Luna de miel'' won the

Technical Grand Prize The Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist (french: Prix Vulcain de l’Artiste Technicien) is an independent film award created in 2003. It rewards the work of a technician for his or her collaboration in the creation of a film from the official se ...

. Also, director Michael Powell was nominated for the

Golden Palm Award The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

Subsequent history

liked the final ballet, ''Los Amantes de Teruel'', so much that she incorporated it into her regular stage performances. With the help of director

Raymond Rouleau Raymond Rouleau (4 June 1904 – 11 December 1981) was a Belgian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1928 and 1979. He also directed 22 films between 1932 and 1981. Rouleau studied at the Royal Conservatory of B ...

, it was turned into a film '' Les Amants de Teruel'' (1962). The film was cut for television in the UK, and this version was the only one available for many years. The cuts were mainly to some of the extended dance sequences, leaving it as little more than a travelogue. This led to the film getting a bad reputation. The film was fully restored from its original elements by Charles Doble of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and the restored film had its first public screening at the

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

Film Festival in 2002 in the presence of Rosita Sergova, one of the stars of the film. It was first shown in the UK in

Ashbrittle Ashbrittle is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated nine miles west of Taunton and close to the River Tone and the route of the Grand Western Canal in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 225 ...

, Somerset on 21 June 2003.Screening of Luna de miel
/ref> In 1963,

recorded the theme tune for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

radio show 'Pop Go The Beatles'.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Powell, Michael. ''A Life in Movies: An Autobiography''. London: Heinemann, 1986. . * Powell, Michael. ''Million Dollar Movie''. London: Heinemann, 1992. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Honeymoon 1959 films Spanish musical drama films British musical drama films 1950s Spanish-language films Films directed by Michael Powell Films by Powell and Pressburger Films about ballet Flamenco films 1950s musical drama films Films set in Spain Films scored by Mikis Theodorakis 1950s dance films 1959 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films