Penelope Cruz Movie:

		List Price: $19.99		Label: Lolafilms Home Ent Salesrank: 80014 Released: May 11, 2004
		Our Price: $11.99
		Used Price: $10.79
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

The Girl of Your Dreams (La Nina de Tus Ojos) Reviews:
one of the greatest Spanish movies I have even seen
2009-10-10 - This film "La nina de tus ojos" aka "The Girl in Your Eye" is about a troop of Spaniards that are about to film a very traditional Spanish musical. Unfortunately they cannot film this movie in their own country due to the Spanish Civil War and the fact that Madrid (which is where most of the movie studios were at that time) has been completely conquered by the Republican Army. So they are invited by the UFA (a found German movie studio) to come to Germany and film their musical there.
This of course brings comic as well as dramatic results. For one the German landscape and the landscape of Spain are not the same. Another issue is that the leading German he-man actor of the day is homosexual and he took a liking to Jorge Sanz (the actor who plays the leading man in the Spanish film). The director played by Antonio Resines is the one trying to hold his troop together. Add this to another character actress who feels she is equally as talented as the leading lady (played by Penelope Cruz) and Maria Sarda playing an alcoholic actress in the film. You have your comic elements.
The dramatic ones are the wars. Both German and Spain are involved in their onn wars. The Spanish crew on a night out end up seeing first hand upfront what how the Jews are shot on the spot and their businesses burned to the ground.
In the filming of the musical for one of the main numbers "La Piconera" the extras are concentration camp prisoners that are about to be executed. They are dressed like gypsies and forced to participate in the making of the film.
Cruz's character is having an affair with the director. Divorce in Spain is not allowed. He has to make a decision to let her go as he can offer her no future life together. She in the meantime has taking a liking to one of the extras who used to be a circus acrobat before he was taken into a concentration camp.
To complicate matters even worse. Goebbels has taken a liking to the Spanish leading actress and has placed her in a furnished house where he expects sex as payment in return. The director is helpless to do anything as he know realizes all of their lives are at stake.
This is without a doubt one of the best directed, written, acted, movies that I've seen from Spain and I grew up seeing movies from Spain as a young boy were once two movies houses in my town that showed Spanish movies.

Beautifully recreated 1930's period piece
2008-02-19 - This was a very entertaining film , that won many awards in it's native Spain but for some reason was not released in the United States. Thank God for DVD's or I might never have experienced this fine spectacle. Taking it's cues and paying respect to the great films of Hollywood, with a closing scene reminiscent of Casablanca (Two-Disc Special Edition), witty comedic dialogue throughout, much like the Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers Collection (A Night at The Opera/A Day at The Races/A Night in Casablanca/Room Service/At the Circus/Go West/The Big Store) and gala musical scenes found in Rogers & Hammerstens movies like The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection (The Sound of Music / The King and I / Oklahoma! / South Pacific / State Fair / Carousel), makes this movie quite memorable. Diretor Fernado Trueba, best known for his comedy Belle Epoque delivers what has to be one his best movies. Without spoiling the movie, it would be suffice to say it takes place in Germany during Hitler's Third Reich. The movie is actually factual in basis as a number of Spanish movies were made in Germany during Hitler's time. The movie further unfolds and developes like this. A Spanish film group is making a movie under the ever watchful eyes of the German leadership. Other actors are allowed to be in the movie, treated less than humanely and one leading man, who happens to be a Russian-Jew catches the eye of the leading lady, played by Penelope Cruz,as the lovely Macarena. Various outlandish scenes ensue as the ensemble cast from Spain tries to make a movie. There is alot going on between the various actors and it all makes for a madcap movie. This is Spanish black humor at it's finest. Of particular note is the fine performance by Antonio Resines X (Equis) as the director, known as Blas and Penelope Cruz Open Your Eyes who plays the irresistible Macarena. Her singing and dancing scenes(flamenco) reveal her multi-talents go beyond a pretty face. If you are a Penelope Cruz fan, as I am , than you will love this movie. Everything about this movie is top-notch, the sets, the costuming, the script,the directing; it's all here for the complete package.Recommended for foreign film aficionados and fans of La Pe, the girl of my dreams.

totally boring movie
2007-01-19 - This almost seemed like a silent film. It was just so terrible and boring that I finally just shut it off not wanting to waste any more time.
worthless

Good Spanish film that isn't overly ambitious
2005-03-23 - La Nina...has it's moments. Like with many ensemble casts this satirical comedy lacks cohesiveness. There are some decent extra features, including a documentary and outtakes.

The film involves a small, struggling Spanish film company during the late 30's invited to Berlin's UFA studios ostensibly to shoot a propaganda tale about an Andalusian hero, in both German and Spanish versions. But Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels (Johannes Silberschneider) just wants to seduce the starlet Macarena Granados (Penelope Cruz) and without her acquiescence...the films will not be made.

A memorable scene is when Goebbels - whom Macarena nicknames "Go-Balls" - invites the frightened girl to an exclusive dinner for two at a restaurant with requisite string quartet. I don't know if Goebbels had a limp in reality but Silberschneider is a riot (and I think he steals the show) in his portrayal of a lecherous, corrupt cripple. The Minister tries to woo her while dancing and when she breaks her heel, forcing her to limp, I just about fell down from laughing. I can never watch another cable documentary on the Nazis without "Go-Balls" popping into my head, like an unwanted erection.

Penelope Cruz is luminous in her song and dance scene. The camera loves her...and so do I...uh, that's for another review. She shows a wonderful comedic sensibility throughout the film.

An entertaining WWII-era romp, not without substance, but more importantly with Ms. Cruz.

Painful to watch.
2004-12-06 - Doesn't work as a comedy or drama, attempts both. I am a fan of penelope cruz (I highly recommmend 'open your eyes') but this film was terrible - filled with stupid cliches and an unconvincing plotline, including misguided allusions to "Cassablanca" which this films suffers by comparision.
There is ONE redeeming scene: when P. Cruz performs musical number in traditional anduluscian dress.