Abre los ojos (1997)

Country of Origin: Spain/France/Italy
Year of Production: 1997
Running Times: 117 mins
Length: 3209 metres
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital

CREW

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Las Producciones del Escorpión/Les Films Alain Sarde/Lucky Red/Sociedad General de Televisión S.A. (Sogetel)
Producers: Fernando Bovaira, José Luis Cuerda
Associate Producers: Ana Amigo, Andrea Occhipinti, Alain Sarde
Production Manager: Emiliano Otegui
Assistant Production Managers: Jesús Alonso, José Antonio García Tapia

SCRIPT
Script: Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

DIRECTION
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
2nd Unit Director: Mateo Gil
Assistant Directors: Mateo Gil, Ignacio Gutiérrez-Solana, Raúl Otegui
Trainee Assistant Director: Salud Gismera

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Hans Burman
2nd Unit Directors of Photography: Pablo Hernandez, Wolfgang Burmann
Camera Operator: Hans Burman
1st Assistant Camera: Pablo Bürmann
2nd Unit 1st Assistant Camera: Gregorio Sánchez, Ramiro Sabell hijo
2nd Assistant Camera: Roberto Miguel
2nd Unit 2nd Assistant Camera: Luis Sáenz, Miguel Ángel Bardavio
Camera Trainee: Carlos Montero
Gaffer: Juan Carrión
Electricians: José Sacristán, Pablo Carrión, Pablo Carrión Bautista, Pedro López
Key Grip: Francisco Ramos
Camera Rental: Domenech
Laboratory: Fotofilm S.A., Madrid, Spain
Film Stock: Kodak

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: María Elena Sáinz de Rozas
Assistant Editor: Natalia Sáinz de Rozas

MUSIC
Music: Alejandro Amenábar, Mariano Marín
Music Performed By: The Prague Philarmonic Orchestra
Songs: Vowles, del Nanja and Marshall (Rising Son); F. Alfaro (El detonador EMX-3); A. López, J.A. López, J. Díaz (Glamour); F. Pardo, D. Krahe (Arrecife); Brown, Frank, Miranda (Flying Away); Chris Eckman (Tremble Goes the Night); Onion, A. Legardon (Sick of You); B. García, F.J. Ferrero (T-Sebo); A. Olmedo (Yo mismo)
Songs Performed By: Massive Attack (Rising Son); Sneaker Pimps (How Do); Chucho (El detonador EMX-3); Amphetamine Discharge (Glamour); Los Coronas (Arrecife); Smoke City (Flying Away); The Walkabouts (Tremble Goes the Night); Onion (Sick of You); Side Effects (T-Sebo); If (Yo mismo); Autour de Lucie (Island)
Songs Arranged By: Line of Flight (How Do)
Conductor: Mario Klemens
Music Producer: Juan Carlos Cuello
Music Production Manager: Bartolomé Espadale
Music Recordist: Enrique Camarasa
Music Mixers: Eduardo Ruiz Joya, José Vinader

SOUND
Sound Designers: Goldstein & Steinberg
Sound: José Vinader
Sound Mixer: Patrick Ghislain
Boom Operators: Sergio Burman, Juan Carlos Cid
Re-Recording Mixers: Jaime Fernández, Alfonso Raposo
Sound Editors: Pelayo Gutiérrez, Nacho Royo
Sound Editor Trainee: Juan Dibarboure
Sound Effects Editor: Julien Naudin
Dolby Stereo Consultant: Jaime Puig

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up Designer: Paca Almenara
Make Up: Silvie Imbert
Assistant Make Up: Elisabeth Adánez
Make Up Trainee: Susana Cortés
Hair: Silvie Imbert
Costume Designer: Concha Solera
Assistant Costume Designer: Ana Cuerda
Costumes: Concha Solera
Costumer: María Isabel Escobar
Wardrobe: Humberto Cornejo

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Molinaro S.A., Reyes Abades, Colin Arthur

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Coordinator: Alberto Esteban
Visual Effects: Belén Arsuaga, Félix Bergés, Pedro Blanco, Luis Guerra, Ricardo Gómez, Rafael Menéndez de Luarca, Óscar Miranda, Inés Montero, Abraham Portolés, Juan Antonio Ruiz, Aurelio Sánchez Herrera
Modelers: Jacinto Soria
Opticals: Carlos J. Santos, Adolfo Villalón

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Wolfgang Burmann
Settings: Ramón Moya
Set Decorator: Carola Angulo
Assistant Set Decorator: Sergio Rozas
Set Decorator Trainee: Rafael Serras
Property Masters: Vázquez Hermanos, De La Oliva, Ricardo Mengíbar
Props: Pablo Arroyo, Natalia Montes, Óscar Romero
Upholstery/Tapestry: Emilio Ardura
Construction Coordinator: Pedro Jesús De la Fuente
Carpenters: Antonio Gómez, Luis Gómez, José Luque, Roberto Torralba
Painters: José Garcia Donado, Félix Álvarez
Graphic Designer: Nacho Borja
Storyboard Artists: Natalia Montes, Sergio Rozas
Sketcher: Iñigo Navarro
Title Designer: Carlos J. Santos

OTHER CREW
Script Supervisor: Carmen Soriano
Production Accountants: Eva Muslera, Juan Luis Pedrero
Financial Controller: José Miguel Mendiola
Assistants to Director: Amanda Castro, Mateo Gil
Production Assistants: Alberto García, Víctor Mínguez
Direction Secretary: Carmen Soriano
Production Secretary: María Teresa Payero
Legal Advisors: José M. Méndez, Lola Pérez, Montserrat González
Press Attache: Javier Bellot
Press Promotion: César Urrutia
Transportation Coordinator: Félix Fontal
Caterer: Rafael Hostelería

LOCATIONS
Locations: Madrid, Spain
Location Managers: Alfonso Jadraque, José Luis Sánchez, Juan Giraldez, Mar de Frutos, Sofía Merlin

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks: Fernando De La Peña, Luis Antonio López Calvo, Ana Steinberg, Andy Ferguson, Antonio Ramos, Armand Bassi, Concha Doñaque, Fabrice Benoît, Fernando Cañas, Ian Padrón, Javier Aramburu, José Mercado, Luis Dorado, Luis Fernández Inglada, Nacho Sáenz de Tejada, Nieves Herranz, Olga de Bartolomé, Tomás Zapata

CAST

Rich, handsome womanizer César is badly injured in a car crash engineered by Nuria, his former lover, after he has met another woman, Sofía. Horribly disfigured, César takes to wearing a mask and continues to persue Sofía. His face is eventually rebuilt by a team of surgeons, and César's life takes a turn for the better again - but how much of what he is now experiencing is actually real?

Amenábar's second genre film is a wonderful thriller that keeps the audience guessing until the very end, just as he had already done in the outstanding Tesis (1996) and would do again in the masterly The Others (2001). The plot hangs together wonderfully, the central twist is sensitively handled, and Amenábar proves again to be a master of suspense, prompting uneccessary but inevitable comparisons with Hitchcock. An intelligent and thought-provoking script, flawless performances and gripping direction make this one of the best science fiction films of the 90s - and its streets ahead of the disappointing Hollywood remake, Vanilla Sky (2002).

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Video Distributor: Argentina Video Home

France
Theatrical Distributor: AFMD

Greece
Theatrical Distributor: Odeon
Video Distributor: Odeon Video

Portugal
Video Distributor: Videotrónica

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Sociedad General de Televisión (Sogetel), S.A. /Sogepaq Distribución S.A.

Switzerland
Theatrical Distributor: Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Artisan Entertainment; Redbus Film Distribution
Video Distributor: Summit Entertainment
DVD Distributor: Artisan Entertainment (12159)

Argentina
Rating: 16

Australia
Rating: M

Chile
Rating: 18

France
Rating: U

Germany
Rating: 16

Hong Kong
Rating: IIB

Portugal
Rating: M/12

Spain
Rating: 13

Switzerland
Rating: 16

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R (for some strong sexuality, language and some violence)

1998
Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
C.I.C.A.E. Award: Honorable Mention Panorama (Alejandro Amenábar) - winner (for outstanding direction)

1999
Goya Awards, Spain
Mejor Director (Alejandro Amenábar) - nominated
Mejor Montaje (María Elena Sáinz de Rozas) - nominated
Mejor Película - nominated
Mejor Actor Principal (Eduardo Noriega) - nominated
Mejor Maquillaje y/o Peluquería (Paca Almenara, Colin Arthur, Silvie Imbert) - nominated
Mejor Dirección Artística (Wolfgang Burmann) - nominated
Mejor Dirección de Producción (Emiliano Otegui) - nominated
Mejor Guión Original (Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil) - nominated
Mejor Sonido (Daniel Goldstein, Ricardo Steimberg, Patrick Ghislain) - nominated
Mejores Efectos Especiales (Reyes Abades, Alberto Esteban, Aurelio Sánchez) - nominated

Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan
Grand Prix (Alejandro Amenábar) - winner

Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival
Canal22 Best Ibero-American Film Award (Alejandro Amenábar) - winner

1997
December
19: Spain - theatrical release

1998
June
3: Sweden - shown at the Popcorn Film Festival

August
28: Italy - theatrical release

November
4: Japan - shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival
18: France - theatrical release

December
7: Hungary - shown as part of European Film Week

1999
February
6: South Korea - theatrical release

April
2: Argentina - shown at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
16: USA - theatrical release (in New York City)
29: Argentina - theatrical release

May
Day Unknown: Portugal - video release

June
2: Belgium - theatrical release

July
17: Japan - theatrical release

2000
February
25: UK - theatrical release

December
26: Iceland - theatrical release

2001
August
21: USA - DVD release (Artisan Entertainment (12159))

2002
January
2: France - theatrical re-release
10: Hong Kong - theatrical release
24: Germany - theatrical release

Abra os Olhos - Brazilian title
Apri gli occhi - Italian title
Avaa silmäsi - Finnish title
El contrato - working title)
De Olhos Abertos - Portugese video title
Open Your Eyes - UK/US title
Ouvre les yeux - French title
Preso na Escuridão - Brazilian title
Virtual Nightmare - Open Your Eyes - German title

REMAKE
Vanilla Sky (2001)

SEE ALSO
Dark City (1998)
El espinazo del Diablo (2001)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (1920)
Lost Highway (1997)
The Matrix (1999)
Minority Report (2002)
The Others (2001)
Tesis (1996)
Total Recall (1990)
Vertigo (1958)
Videodrome (1983)
Les yeux sans visage (1959)

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1992)

PERIODICALS

Entertainment Weekly no.482 (23 April 1999) p.41 (USA)
review (by Lisa Schwarzbaum)

film dienst vol.54 no.17 (14 August 2001) p.34 (Germany)
review (by Roland Mörchen)

Film Review March 2000 p.33 (UK)
review (by Nick Briggs)

car crashes, cryogenics, cryonics, disfigurement, dreams, drug overdoses, drugs, guns, jealousy, masks, nightmare, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, psychiatrist, suicide, virtual reality

Last Updated: 15 October, 2009