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Fanny Straw Hair

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Wikipedia article




'Fanny Straw Hair'Thomas, Kevin. "[http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-11/entertainment/ca-2591_1_carlos-saura Saura's Real-life 'Bandit' Returns]." 'Los Angeles Times'. August 11, 1986. Retrieved on July 28, 2013. " Saturday brings the silly, overbaked melodrama of crime and passion "Fanny Straw Hair" (1984) [...]" (; in France as ) is a 1984 crime thriller film, directed by Vicente Aranda and starring Fanny Cottenon and Bruno Cremer. The film, a Spanish and French production, was based on the novel 'Prtesis', written by Andreu Martin. The plot follows an attractive blonde outcast who devises an elaborate plan to avenge the humiliation she suffered at the hands of a policeman who killed her boyfriend and smashed her teeth with the butt of a gun.

Plot



Estefania Snchez, known as Fanny Pelopaja for her bleach blond hair, is a cold-blooded woman who recently has been released from jail after serving a three-year sentence. She has built up a new life for herself working in a gas station. However, she has been waiting all this time to take revenge from a corrupt and brutal police officer, Andrs Gallego. A phone call from one of her old cronies informs her that Andrs is working in Barcelona as a security guard for an armored car company. Fanny leaves everything behind and takes the road back to Barcelona.

A flashback tells the story of Fanny and Andrs three years before. He caught her stealing in a department store in which he worked as an undercover security officer. Although she paid for the stolen items and was let off without being charged, Andrs, a corrupt policeman, pressed Fanny to have sex with him. A married man with a wife he despised and two teenage children who do not pay attention to him, Andrs quickly became obsessed with Fanny, and they met regularly in the same hotel room for casual sex. An unwilling love-hate relationship built up between them. Andrs willingly guided Fanny in a risky plan to help Fanny's boyfriend, Manuel, nicknamed The Cat, to escape from the hospital where he was recuperating after being injured in jail.

Fanny smuggled a gun in the hospital room between her legs. With the gun in hand, Fanny and Manuel managed to escape from the hospital, but they killed two policemen. They found refuge from the authorities in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. There, a jealous dispute between Andrs and Manuel ended up with Andrs shooting Manuel in the head, killing him. Grief-stricken, Fanny, told Andrs how much she hated him. Andrs brutally assaulted her, knocking out her teeth, causing her to have to wear dentures from then on.

Because of his violation of police regulations and his abusive treatment of Fanny, Andrs was thrown out of the police force and spent some time in a mental institution recuperating from a nervous breakdown. He now works as a guard for an armored car company.

Back in Barcelona, Fanny is reunited with her old friends, Julin and his girlfriend, La Nena, Manuel's sister. Their plan is to rob the armored car that Andrs is guarding. While Julin is interested only in the money, both Fanny and La Nena want to kill Andrs for revenge. The plans work out, and Fanny exacts revenge on Andrs, but does not kill him. A mistake, because he is soon back in full force against her and her companions. After brutally beating Julin and threatening to rape La Nena with his gun, Julin reveals Fanny's whereabouts. She has been waiting for Andrs all along in the same hotel room where they used to get together in the past. When he arrives, she is ready for him. They aim their guns at each other but neither dares to shoot. When the police arrive, they find them naked in bed, Andrs fatally stabbed in the back. Fanny is still alive, but in a catatonic state from which she never recovers. Ultimately she is institutionalized in a mental asylum.

Cast



*Fanny Cottenon as Estefania Snchez, "Fanny Pelopaja"

*Bruno Cremer as Andrs Gallego

* Ian Sera as Manuel, " the cat"

* Francisco Algora as Julin

* Berta Cabr as La Nena

Production



Spanish producer Carlos Durn approached director Vicente Aranda showing him the novel Prtesis, written by Andreu Matn, with the idea of making a film out of it.Cnovas, 'Miradas sobre el cine de Vicente Aranda', p. 58

Aranda liked the book but found difficult to write the screenplay. The novel portrays a violent relationship between two men. Aranda had been uncomfortable tackling the subject of homosexuality in his previous film Cambio de Sexo therefore he decided to transform the male protagonist into a female and make the story of love and revenge between a heterosexual couple.Vera, 'Vicente Aranda', p. 141

The violence, bluntly expressed in the novel, was also tuned down in the film adaptation.Vera, 'Vicente Aranda', p. 140 The author of the original book, Andreu Martin agreed with the changes made and he was pleased with the film adaptation.

Casting the female lead, Aranda considered Berta Socullamos, who had had her breakthrough in films with a similar role in Carlos Saura's Deprisa, Deprisa. He also had in mind Victoria Abril, his favorite actress, for the starring role. However the French producers of the film imposed two French actors in the lead to help the marketability of the film in France.Vera, 'Vicente Aranda', p. 149 Aranda had a casting session in Paris and ultimately choose Fanny Cottenon and Bruno Cremer for the two main roles.

The film had a budget of 76 million pesetas with 70% Spanish capital and 30% of the cost covered by the French production company.Cnovas, 'Miradas sobre el cine de Vicente Aranda', p. 59

Shot in Barcelona with Spanish supporting cast and crew, the production went smoothly and the director was happy with the actors in the lead who were dubbed in Spanish for the local version of the film. However, dissatisfied with the French cut and dubbing of the film, done without his oversight, Aranda tried unsuccessfully to stop the premiere of the film in France, where it was released with the title ' coups de crosse'.

Title



'Prtesis', the original title of the book, which makes reference to dentures that the main character has to wear, was avoided having little commercial appeal. Fanny Strawhair, the final title given to the film, came from the name of Fanny Cottenon, the actress playing the lead and from her bleached blond hair.Vera, 'Vicente Aranda', p. 142

Reception



'Fanny Pelopaja' received good reviews from the critics, but failed to find an audience when first released. 180.000 tickets were sold in Spain and made 44 million pesetas. However the film found popularity once released on video, and with time, it has become one of Aranda best-regarded works.

Kevin Thomas of the 'Los Angeles Times' called the film "silly and overbaked".

DVD release



'Fanny Pelopaja' is available in Region 2 DVD.

Notes



References



*Cnovs, Joaqun (ed.), Varios Autores: 'Miradas sobre el cine de Vicente Aranda', Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, 2000,

*Vera, Pascual: 'Vicente Aranda', Ediciones J.C, Madrid, 1989,


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