听 After garnering international acclaim with films like All About My Mother and Talk To Her, director Pedro Almod贸var did the same again with Bad Education. "Unmissable for any fan of the Spanish master," it follows the lives of two boys who suffer sexual abuse at a Catholic school in the 60s. It stars Gael Garc铆a Bernal (previously seen in Amores Perros and Y Tu Mam谩 Tambi茅n) and Fele Mart铆nez.
A Religious Experience
Two deleted scenes make up the centrepiece of this very spartan package of extras. Together they form a sequence where Enrique (Fele Mart铆nez) and Paquito (Javier C谩mara) return a swag bag of stolen goods to the San Juan school and confront Father Manolo (Daniel Gim茅nez Cacho) about the mysterious disappearance of Ignacio (Francisco Boira). It's an effective acting showreel for a weepy C谩mara, but there are no epiphanies to be had here.
If you access the DVD on your computer, you can download a PDF version of the press book, which contains detailed notes about the story and a very in-depth interview with Pedro Almod贸var. "I had to make Bad Education," he insists. "I had to get it out of my system before it became an obsession." He's also quick to point out that the story is not autobiographical, saying, "It is not a settling of scores with priests who 'bad educated' me."
The Good Word
It's a shame Almod贸var doesn't offer any video interviews. Instead of a 'making of' featurette, we're offered an inconsequential 'making of' montage that catches him in tiny snippets of behind-the-scenes footage. The stars of the film also have nothing to say for themselves - not even in Spanish with subtitles.
An array of photo galleries pads out the disc with the best of these being a collection of snaps taken by Almod贸var on the set. There's no mistaking his eye for detail and precise composition, but this hardly makes up for all the fluff. Bad Education offers little edification on DVD.
EXTRA FEATURES
The Bad Education DVD is out to buy on Monday 27th December 2004.
