''The Evil Forest'' ( es, Parsifal) is a 1951 Spanish
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
1952 Cannes Film Festival
The 5th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1952. As in the previous three festivals, the entire jury of this festival was made up of French persons, with Maurice Genevoix as the Jury President. The Grand Prix of the Festival ...
.
Plot
During
World War III
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
, two soldiers enter a ruined building.
They find an old book containing the story of
Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival ...
.
The story is located in Spain during the barbarian invasions.
The warrior Roderico, tired of fighting, stops Klingsor from abusing a captive woman.
Klingsor challenges him as a coward before the barbarian king who holds the
holy lance
The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion.
Biblical references
The l ...
.
In the fight, Roderico wins but refuses to kill Klingsor, who treacherously wounds him.
Roderico leaves with the captive.
The king disapproves of treachery.
Klingsor challenges him and becomes the king of the barbarians.
He devotes himself to magic.
After Roderico's death, the captive bears a boy, Parsifal.
She tries to find the grail but cannot.
They refuge in Montserrat.
A troop of grail knights passes and encourages the young child.
When looking for Parsifal, his mother falls to her death.
Parsifal is bred by wolves in the mountain.
As a young man armed with his father's bow, Parsifal meets the knights again.
He also meets Kundria, Klingsor's daughter, the first woman he meets after his mother.
He watches Kundria seduce Amfortas, who is wounded by Klingsor.
Klingsor sends his virgin daughter to seduce Parsifal, but he refuses.
She repents and leaves.
Parsifal clashes with Klingsor's tribe.
A barbarian dwarf changes sides and brings the knights.
Parsifal and Klingsor fight a
single combat
Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies.
Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repre ...
.
Like his father, Parsifal wins and Klingsor tries to kill treacherously.
The dwarf kills him with Roderico's bow.
Parsifal quests helping the weak against the oppressors.
He confronts the
seven capital sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
in the guise of young women.
He resists temptation and proceeds in his quest.
Having smelled the flower of
pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
, his good deeds are however tainted.
Years pass.
Parsifal's feats are no longer out of pride.
Amfortas suffers of his wound and the grail is kept in a case.
On Good Friday, Gurnemancio meets an armed knight.
He reproaches him, and the knight disarms, revealing Parsifal with Christ-like beard and mane.
Parsifal kneels before the lance and his sword, that are laid in a cross shape.
Kundria has led a life of repentance and washes Parsifal's feet with her hair, like
Mary of Bethany
Mary of Bethany is a biblical figure mentioned only by name in the Gospel of John in the Christian New Testament. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Martha, she is described by John as living in the village of Bethany, a small village in Jud ...
did to Jesus.
He baptises her.
Entering the grail cave, he touches Amfortas with the lance.
A dove returns to fly over the grail.
In the frame story, the soldiers close the book and watch an old priest leaving a
chalice
A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning.
R ...
on the altar of a ruined church while supernatural light shines on it.
Cast
*
Gustavo Rojo
Gustavo Rojo Pinto (5 September 1923 – 22 April 2017) was a Uruguayan-Mexican actor.
Life and career
Gustavo Rojo was born on 5 September 1923 on a German ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. His mother was the prominent Spanish auth ...
Carmen de Lirio
Carmen de Lirio (31 October 1926 – 4 August 2014) was a Spanish film actress.Cowie & Elley p.496
Selected filmography
* ''The Evil Forest'' (1951)
* ''It Was She Who Wanted It!'' (1953)
* ''Peace Never Comes'' (1960)
* ''The Two Rivals (1960 fi ...