mgurgun
The only good thing about this movie is the story (aka ...the original novel by Patrice Chaplin). I believe many cinematographically worthless movies get positive credits just because of the good script as in this one. Most of the positive comments here are in fact about the interesting storyline (... and well, about the nude scenes of Ellen Barkin.But when watched from the cinematography point of view this movie doesn't even deserve 2 stars. There is almost no art direction or DoP. And it is impossible to talk about the existence of film direction. Its a huge failure. OK, there is decent acting time to time.When i've read the book about 20+ years i loved it and all these years i looked for the movie. I watched it 2 times in the past 6 years and both times i thought what could have been if any other director had shoot it. Baz Luhrman could have made a gem out of this novel for example. Its clear that Mary Lambert wasn't ready to take the responsibility of shooting a movie back in 1987, as it she is not ready to shoot Siesta today.I believe any cinematography student can shoot a much better version of Siesta today. Its so sad to see a real gem got wasted in the hands of Marry Lambert (aka the music clip director). If you think this is a good movie read the book, you will see that every single thing that makes you think this is a good movie is in the book already.
manea33
Siesta is a most atmospheric film, almost dreamlike, you feel the Spanish heat while Ellen Barkin is stumbling through the pictures in confused despair. She wakes up lying on the roll way of an airport, not knowing where she is or how she got there. Her red dress is full of blood and she starts running... From there, an odyssey begins for her, with strongly impressive scenes of -not only sexual- passion. A bit confusing for the first time watching because of all the flashbacks, when you watch the film a second time you can really enjoy it. Many stunning actors, who appear to join Ellen without really helping her situation, only dragging her deeper in confusion. A surprising end, all of a sudden you begin to understand what happened to Ellen and why she lost her memory. This film left such a strong impression on me that i still recommend it to all of my friends and other movie fans.
Kraig Blackwelder
This film really deserves a better rep than it appears to have. It's not a fast moving film by any stretch, but it does a commendable job of portraying the phantasmagoric experience of the protagonist (played by Barkin). My strong suspicion is that people who have rated it poorly were wanting it to be a standard love story or follow a more traditional plot arc, and that it certainly does not do. Just the cast of this film should indicate that it's not your run of the mill flick, and every single member of the cast turns in a stunning performance (even the visually stunning but acting-challenged Grace Jones). The production values are good, and I really found the cinematography to be quite beautiful (but it -is- Spain, so that's not so surprising). Lastly, the Miles Davis soundtrack is haunting, poignant and beautiful. In my judgment, you can tell a lot about a person's response to this film by how they responded to Lynch's Mulholland Drive. If you like one, you'll like the other.
epicteller
This film summarizes the essence of a journey called life. In its frames there is a thrill that keeps me on my toes. Every time I watch it I become emerged in the world of a seductress by the name of Ellen Barkin.Mary Lambert knows her craft. It is a witchcraft of the mind. Thanks to her talent we not only have Madonna (Madonna Ciccone) but we have a VISUAL/METAPHORICAL/MOOD masterpiece called SIESTA. This is a tour de force movie with a great cast. I wish talented people as such can get together again under the direction of M. Lambert and bring out another chef-d'euvres like this. PS. One wonders why this great film is not available on DVD.
AD
