All About My Mother

Infobox Film
name = All About My Mother

---

caption = All About My Mother Poster
director = Pedro Almodóvar
producer = Agustín Almodóvar
Michel Ruben
writer = Pedro Almodóvar
starring = Cecilia Roth
Marisa Paredes
Candela Peña
Antonia San Juan
Penélope Cruz
Rosa Maria Sardà
Toni Cantó
music = Alberto Iglesias
cinematography = Alfonso Beato
editing = José Salcedo
distributor = USA
Sony Pictures Classics
Spain
Warner Sogefilms
released = flagicon|Spain 16 April, 1999
flagicon|USA 24 November, 1999
runtime = 101 min.
country = ESP
language = Spanish
budget =
gross = $67,964,530 (worldwide)
website =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:179833
imdb_id = 0185125

"All About My Mother" ( _es. Todo sobre mi madre) is a 1999 film written and directed by the Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar. The film deals with complex issues such as AIDS, transvestitism, sexual identity, gender, religion, faith, and existentialism, but always with his classical tragicomedy touch, the film presents these serious issues with an edge of dark humour.

Plot

The film tells the story of a nurse named Manuela (Roth) who works in Madrid and lives with her teenage son Esteban, who never knew his father, and wants to be a writer.

One night after watching a stage production of Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire", Esteban is running after the car of Huma Rojo (Paredes), the actress who plays Blanche DuBois in the play, to get an autograph when he is hit by a car and dies. Manuela sees the accident and, despondent, leaves Madrid to visit her son's father, Lola, who is a transvestite and a prostitute in Barcelona, and inform him of the existence of the son he never knew. While in Barcelona, Manuela reunites with an old friend, a warm and witty transsexual prostitute named Agrado (San Juan). She also meets and becomes deeply involved with Sister Rosa (Cruz), a young, pregnant nun who has known Manuela's ex-husband; and with Huma Rojo, the actress her son had admired.

Almodóvar ends the film with this dedication:"To all actresses who have played actresses. To all women who act. To men who act and become women. To all the people who want to be mothers. To my mother."

Cast

* Cecilia Roth as Manuela
* Marisa Paredes as Huma
* Antonia San Juan as Agrado
* Penélope Cruz as Rosa
* Candela Peña as Nina
* Rosa Maria Sardà as Rosa's Mother
* Eloy Azorin as Esteban
* Toni Cantó as Lola
* Fernando Fernán Gómez as Rosa's father

Responses

"All About My Mother" was widely regarded as Almodóvar's finest and most mature film to date. [David Ansen, "The Man of La Mancha." "Newsweek" 5 Dec. 1988;] [ Celestine Bohlen, "Spain's Freest Spirit Gives Maturity a Try." "The New York Times" 18 Jan. 1998] [ Richard Corliss, "Pedro on the Verge of a Nervy Breakthrough." "Time" 30 Jan. 1989] [ Richard Corliss, "Loving Pedro." "Time" 15 Nov. 1999] [ Lynn Hirschberg, "The Redeemer." "The New York Times Magazine" 5 Dec. 2004] [ Brendan Lemon, "A Man Fascinated by Women, as Actresses." "The New York Times" 19 Sep. 1999] [ Alan Riding, "Almodovar Takes the Pulse of Spain in Transition." "The New York Times". 11 Feb. 1990'] [Jonathan Van Meter, "Man of Many Women." "The New York Times Magazine" 12 Sept. 1999.] It won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign-language Film and seven Goya Awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Argentine actress Cecilia Roth. It was named by Richard Schickel of "Time" Magazine, among other critics, as the best film of the year.Fact|date=February 2007

tage adaptation

A theatrical stage adaptation of "All About My Mother" by playwright Samuel Adamson received its world première at The Old Vic in London's West End on 4th September 2007 (previews from 26th August). This production marks the world's first English language adaptation of any of Almodóvar's works, and has the personal support and approval of Pedro Almodóvar. [Benedict, David, "Stage Mother" "Variety" [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117945420.html?categoryid=2203&cs=1] ] He attended the press night with the film's Sister Rosa; Penelope Cruz. Music by the film's composer, Alberto Iglesias, has been incorporated into the stage production, with a Stage Score by Max and Ben Ringham. The Old Vic production runs from 25 August to 24 November 2007 and stars Diana Rigg, Lesley Manville, Mark Gatiss, Joanne Froggatt, Colin Morgan, and Charlotte Randle. It opened to generally good reviews, with some even stating that it improved upon the film. [BBC review round-up [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6979368.stm] ] [Whatsonstage review round-up: Happy Mother’s Day for Old Vic [http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821188999775&title=Review+Round-up%3A+Happy+Mother%92s+Day+for+Old+Vic] ]

Notes

succession box
title=Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
years=2000
before="Life is beautiful"
flagcountry|Italy
after="Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
flagcountry|Chinasuccession box