El nido

What a discovery. A Spanish variation of Kubrick's classic Lolita, with a magnificent performance by a young actress named Ana Torrent as Goyita, a student in small town Spain who becomes the obsession of an older man, a theme common in both literature and cinema.

Sadly, "El Nido" is one of the many beautiful Spanish films that are rarely seen on this side of the ocean. I know, I know: the mere idea of a foreign film is a turn-off for many of us.

A recent new viewing of this film has awakened some old memories, which, fortunately, have not changed so much over the years. Vaguely, half remembered through the mists of time, a film seen year ago showed a middle-aged man arriving home in the rain, getting up the stairs to his rented room, putting a long-playing record on his player, and, picking up a little stick, began conducting the music he had just purchased.