The film starts in 1942 , in the village of Torre Del Valle in which the stubborn grandmother Gloria (Encarna Paso) runs the family's black-market business at the bustling grocery called ¨El Jardín¨. There an open-air dance celebration takes place , Gloria prepares a noisy wedding of her older son , Oscar (Eusebio Lázaro), to the beautiful Ana (Ana Belén and Juan's lover) , while her another youngest son Juan (Imanol Arias) has a baby with his cousin Angela (Angela Molina) . Later on , Juan heads for Madrid to work for Franco . Juan also leaves behind his impoverished cousin , Ángela , pregnant with his son. Several years later , Angela and her child Juanito live at a far home from the village . Juanito is grown-up but the doctor (Eduardo McGregor) diagnoses rheumatic fever and he says to pamper the child . Grandmother Gloria convinces Angela to bring Juanito to live at the grocery . Shortly after , Franco comes to inaugurate a reservoir , there appears the strange Juan and Juanito wants to meet him . As Juanito recovers , he wishes eagerly to see his daddy who , subsequently , to be returned for economic problems . Then , Juanito witnesses a theft that results to be blamed on his innocent mother . This is an exciting journey to the Francoist period .
This is first part of an ambitious trilogy in which screenwriter and director Manuel Gutiérrez gives a sour analysis of the last decades of the Spanish society , along with : ¨Mitad Del Cielo¨(84) regarding the raising of a woman in the 60s thanks to a successful restaurant in Madrid , and ¨El Rey Del Rio¨ about a young becomes an important figure during the Socialist government . ¨Demons in the Garden¨ turns out to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds concerning the post-Civil War background and Francisco Franco epoch . It results to be slow and confuse , but contains brief touches of humor and some fascinating , attractive images . It packs a narrative with complex structure , slowly paced and under sight point of a child . In the late seventies Manuel Gutiérrez directed four very personal films , -being produced by Luis Megino- , that were well considered by critics but indifferent reception by public , these are : the political ¨Camada Negra¨ , the uneven ¨Sonambulos¨ , this ¨Demonios En El Jardín¨ and their first mutual collaboration ¨El Corazón Del Bosque¨ , the strangest of his filmography . Luis Megino also produced him the following ones : ¨Maravillas¨, ¨Demonios En Jardín¨, ¨Malaventura¨ , ¨La Noche Más Hermosa¨ and ¨Mitad Del Cielo¨ , some of them starred by his fetish actress , Angela Molina .
¨Demons in the garden¨ is an acceptable but slowly developing film , because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this tiring and sometimes boring yarn . But anyway , its is compensated with the decent performances from main and support cast . As the splendid cast is pretty well , such as : Encarna Paso as the steel-willed grandmother , Imanol Arias as the handsome , irresponsible, best-loved second son who goes back in desperate need of money , Angela Molina as the pregnant cousin , among others. This ¨Demonios En Jardín¨ has enjoyable scenes as Franco inaugurating a reservoir and as the little boy meets his father and suddenly discovering an unexpected surprise or when Juanito goes to the cinema to see dancing Silvana Mangano in the mythical ¨Bayon¨ in the film Anna (1952) by Alberto Lattuada . ¨Demonios En Jardín¨ displays a colorful , though dark cinematography by the great cameraman Jose Luis Alcaine , Aragon's regular . Being shot on location in El Escorial, Navacerrada, Lozoya, Madrid . It has an atmospheric musical score by Javier Iturralde, including some popular songs by the time .
This is a Spanish average budget production and didn't obtain enough success in the box-office . The motion picture perfectly produced by a magnificent producer , Luis Megino (also screenwriter) , was compellingly written and heavily directed by Manuel Gutierrez Aragon , a good Spanish movies director and here including some autobiographic remarks . Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón was born on January 2 , 1942 in Torrelavega , Cantabria, where uses to set most of films , including Valley Pas . He is a writer and director, known for ¨Habla, Mudita¨ (1973) , ¨Camada Negra¨ (1977) , ¨Maravillas¨ (1981) , ¨Demonios en el Jardín¨ (1982) , ¨Feroz¨ (1984) , ¨Visionarios¨ (2001) , ¨Todos Estamos Invitados¨ (2008) . He began working in cinema in 1973 when he filmed ¨Habla Mudita¨ with José Luis López Vazquez , this debut feature by acclaimed Spanish director deals with a strange relationship between a mature men and a mute villager and also set in rural country from Valley Pas . Manuel Gutierrez is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes among which there are the following ones : David di Donatello Awards , Moscow International Film Festival , and San Sebastian International Festival award to ¨Demonios en Jardin¨ , Goya Awards 1987 to ¨La Mitad del Cielo¨ , Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain and Berlin Internation Festival 1996 to ¨Rey del Rio¨ , Biarritz International Festival awards and Goyas 2003 to ¨Caballero Don Quijote¨ , among others.
This is first part of an ambitious trilogy in which screenwriter and director Manuel Gutiérrez gives a sour analysis of the last decades of the Spanish society , along with : ¨Mitad Del Cielo¨(84) regarding the raising of a woman in the 60s thanks to a successful restaurant in Madrid , and ¨El Rey Del Rio¨ about a young becomes an important figure during the Socialist government . ¨Demons in the Garden¨ turns out to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds concerning the post-Civil War background and Francisco Franco epoch . It results to be slow and confuse , but contains brief touches of humor and some fascinating , attractive images . It packs a narrative with complex structure , slowly paced and under sight point of a child . In the late seventies Manuel Gutiérrez directed four very personal films , -being produced by Luis Megino- , that were well considered by critics but indifferent reception by public , these are : the political ¨Camada Negra¨ , the uneven ¨Sonambulos¨ , this ¨Demonios En El Jardín¨ and their first mutual collaboration ¨El Corazón Del Bosque¨ , the strangest of his filmography . Luis Megino also produced him the following ones : ¨Maravillas¨, ¨Demonios En Jardín¨, ¨Malaventura¨ , ¨La Noche Más Hermosa¨ and ¨Mitad Del Cielo¨ , some of them starred by his fetish actress , Angela Molina .
¨Demons in the garden¨ is an acceptable but slowly developing film , because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this tiring and sometimes boring yarn . But anyway , its is compensated with the decent performances from main and support cast . As the splendid cast is pretty well , such as : Encarna Paso as the steel-willed grandmother , Imanol Arias as the handsome , irresponsible, best-loved second son who goes back in desperate need of money , Angela Molina as the pregnant cousin , among others. This ¨Demonios En Jardín¨ has enjoyable scenes as Franco inaugurating a reservoir and as the little boy meets his father and suddenly discovering an unexpected surprise or when Juanito goes to the cinema to see dancing Silvana Mangano in the mythical ¨Bayon¨ in the film Anna (1952) by Alberto Lattuada . ¨Demonios En Jardín¨ displays a colorful , though dark cinematography by the great cameraman Jose Luis Alcaine , Aragon's regular . Being shot on location in El Escorial, Navacerrada, Lozoya, Madrid . It has an atmospheric musical score by Javier Iturralde, including some popular songs by the time .
This is a Spanish average budget production and didn't obtain enough success in the box-office . The motion picture perfectly produced by a magnificent producer , Luis Megino (also screenwriter) , was compellingly written and heavily directed by Manuel Gutierrez Aragon , a good Spanish movies director and here including some autobiographic remarks . Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón was born on January 2 , 1942 in Torrelavega , Cantabria, where uses to set most of films , including Valley Pas . He is a writer and director, known for ¨Habla, Mudita¨ (1973) , ¨Camada Negra¨ (1977) , ¨Maravillas¨ (1981) , ¨Demonios en el Jardín¨ (1982) , ¨Feroz¨ (1984) , ¨Visionarios¨ (2001) , ¨Todos Estamos Invitados¨ (2008) . He began working in cinema in 1973 when he filmed ¨Habla Mudita¨ with José Luis López Vazquez , this debut feature by acclaimed Spanish director deals with a strange relationship between a mature men and a mute villager and also set in rural country from Valley Pas . Manuel Gutierrez is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes among which there are the following ones : David di Donatello Awards , Moscow International Film Festival , and San Sebastian International Festival award to ¨Demonios en Jardin¨ , Goya Awards 1987 to ¨La Mitad del Cielo¨ , Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain and Berlin Internation Festival 1996 to ¨Rey del Rio¨ , Biarritz International Festival awards and Goyas 2003 to ¨Caballero Don Quijote¨ , among others.