Jamón Jamón

Jamón Jamón (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈmoŋ xaˈmon]; English: Ham, Ham) is a 1992 Spanish romantic comedy-drama film directed by Bigas Luna and starring Javier Bardem, Jordi Mollá and Penélope Cruz in her debut film. It centers on a young woman named Silvia played by Cruz. The movie engages in word play and pun and rhapsodises on the juxtaposition of old and new in Spain and many other emotional contrasts such as erotic desire and food.[1]

Jamón Jamón
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBigas Luna
Produced byAndrés Vicente Gómez
Written byCuca Canals
Bigas Luna
Quim Monzó (Dialogue)
StarringPenélope Cruz
Javier Bardem
Jordi Mollà
Stefania Sandrelli
Anna Galiena
Juan Diego
Tomás Martín
Music byNicola Piovani
CinematographyJosé Luis Alcaine
Edited byTeresa Font
Distributed byUnited States Academy Entertainment Inc
Release date
  • 2 September 1992 (1992-09-02)
Running time
95 mins
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Plot

In a lone building on a busy road going through an arid desert in Spain, the beautiful Silvia spends her evenings making potato omelettes to sell at the factory where she works sewing men's underwear. Her mother Carmen works as a prostitute in a roadside brothel nearby. José Luis, pampered son of the factory owners, has been seeing Silvia on the side and when she tells him she has missed two periods, he picks up a soda can tab from the ground to serve as an engagement ring and promises he will stand by her. He cannot promise marriage until he can convince his wealthy parents that she will be a suitable bride.

Appalled, his mother Conchita refuses approval but his father Manuel refuses to intervene. Conchita then decides to get rid of Silvia, by finding somebody to seduce her. She picks Raúl, an aspiring bullfighter and part-time model. After his advances are repulsed a few times Raúl is genuinely smitten by Silvia, and he starts to woo her in earnest. Meanwhile Conchita comes to desire Raúl for herself. Alarmed at the failure of her ploy, she gives Raúl a motorcycle as an enticement.

Enraged by all this, José Luis forces himself upon Silvia to revenge himself against Raúl. Desperate to keep Raúl, Conchita seduces him at the isolated ham warehouse that she supervises. José Luis arrives and is furious. Seizing upon hams to use as weapons, the two men fight, which results in the death of José Luis, while Raúl is badly wounded. With Conchita weeping over her injured lover, her husband Manuel arrives with Silvia. The two comfort each other, he having lost his son and she her fiancé. Then Silvia's mother Carmen turns up to embrace the corpse of José Luis, her lost son-in-law and (in her professional capacity) client. In a timeless moment, across the desert a shepherd herds a flock of sheep.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on the Monegros desert near Zaragoza.

In Spanish, jamón means "ham." In one scene José comments that the taste of Silvia's two breasts is like ham.[2][3]

Awards

Bigas Luna won the Silver Lion at the 1992 Venice Film Festival for the film.[4]

Soundtrack

"Házmelo otra vez" (Concha Valdés Miranda)

References
  1. Ham Ham
  2. Jamón, jamón Archived 2009-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Jamón Jamón review 2007-05-01
  4. "Bigas Luna: acclaimed Spanish director dies at 67". BBC News. 8 April 2013.
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