La Verbena De La Paloma

This lavish “Grand Hotel”-style yarn with religious undertones is set in Madrid in 1893. The story takes place during the annual festival of the Virgin of the Dove. The euphoria of the celebration has a positive effect on several celebrants, but yields most unexpected results for others. The film is based on a popular operetta, which in turn was inspired by a variety of old folk legends. All in all, the story and the music of La Verbend de la Paloma is secondary to the pageantry: If one didn’t know better, one would swear that the film was lensed during the actual Virgin of the Dove festival, rather than a meticulous reconstruction.