Abre los ojos (1997)

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar (writer)
Mateo Gil (writer)

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Beautiful Woman | Psychiatrist | Nightmare | Suicide

Awards:

5 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Eduardo Noriega	...	César
Penélope Cruz	...	Sofía
Chete Lera	...	Antonio
Fele Martínez	...	Pelayo
Najwa Nimri	...	Nuria
Gérard Barray	...	Duvernois
Jorge de Juan	...	Encargado L.E.
Miguel Palenzuela	...	Commisario
Pedro Miguel Martínez	...	Médico Jefe
Ion Gabella	...	Recluso paranoico
Joserra Cadiñanos	...	Guardia
Tristán Ulloa	...	Camarero
Pepe Navarro	...	Presentador T.V.
Jaro	...	Médico 1
Walter Prieto	...	Médico 2

Also Known As:

Open Your Eyes (UK) (USA)
Apri gli occhi (Italy)
El contrato (Spain) (working title)
Ouvre les yeux (France)
Permanent Midnight (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality, language and some violence.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

Spain | France | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | France:U | Germany:16 (video premiere) | Hong Kong:IIB | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Canal+ España

Trivia:

When César (Eduardo Noriega) goes to Sofia (Penélope Cruz)'s apartment and starts to rip down her photos on the wall, there is a picture of "The Sandman," a popular comic book that deals with the world of dreams, created by Neil Gaiman.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A crew member is reflected in the car window when César picks up Pelayo for tennis.

Quotes:

[Repeated line.]
Nuria: Open your eyes.

Movie Connections:

References The Game (1997)

Soundtrack:

El detonador EMX-3

Vanilla Sky versus Abre los Ojos

Well, as it is in most ‘fights' one has to see both before being able to see who the winner is and in this case it is Abre los Ojos (the original). It is not THAT MUCH better than Vanilla sky, but the ending does the trick. The ending in Abre los ojos, is much better and more comprehensible than the vague and somewhat pointless ending in Vanilla Sky, which makes the film just a notch better than the star-laden Hollywood remake. The other parts of the films are mostly equal to one another (except Cruz' looks, which are much better than in Vanilla Sky, which is mostly due to the stupid haircut she had in that American film) or should I say, the rest Cameron Crowe copied from Abre los ojos. If there is one thing that I didn't like about this film, is how it was spoiled for me by having seen Vanilla Sky earlier. Almost everything Crowe copied, which made this film rather boring at times and which also makes it difficult for me to rate this one. I can tell you though, that if could choose again I'd definitely see Abre los Ojos first and not see Vanilla Sky at all.

7,5 out of 10 (for the statistics, with a 7 to be handed out on voting)