Carmen Maura, the statuesque Spanish beauty who suffered gamely through Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, What Have I Done to Deserve This? , and Dark Habits, fell out with her favourite director, Pedro Almodóvar, and switched to Carlos Saura for this black comedy with musical interludes. Carmen's a vaudeville performer trying to convince opposing sides in the Spanish Civil War that she's an avid supporter to stay alive, and much of the film's humour comes from her wriggling sycophancy. The musical numbers are well staged and help move along the somewhat sluggish storyline. Worth watching for the best bits.


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