Lope

by Douglas Tilden | February 9, 2012 14:06 | Edited February 9, 2012 14:58

“...a captivating tale...”

Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio (Lope de Vega for short) dominated Spanish theatre in the late 16^th Century, with a staggering 1,800 plays to his name. Lope recounts a short time of his life - the five years in which he first started writing plays. Alberto Ammann (Cell 211) plays the womanising and crafty titular character, returning to Madrid after service in the Spanish navy, and beginning his career as a playwright. He woos the daughter (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) of a prominent theatre owner, who is subsequently convinced to produce his first plays. Lope throws it all away for love, however, tarnishing the theatre owner's reputation, and is sentenced to eight years in exile for libel.

Director Andrucha Waddington (The House Of Sand) crafts a captivating tale riffing on the dashing, womanising playwright stereotype, and the film ultimately looks and feels much like Shakespeare In Love, for better or worse.