Don't, as I did, waste your money on this dvd. It was such a disappointment and I hardly know where to start. Fermina never looked like a schoolgirl. They did get a young actor to play the young, lovestruck Florentino, but the older actor comes in much too soon, a forty year old man pretending to be about 22. When the actors were made up to look old, the cosmetics looked like plasticine and were never even nearly convincing. At one point, when Fermina finally gets naked with her old lover, her head was superimposed on an old woman's body and I thought computer generated filming had moved on a bit but clearly not. It was pathetic. The only good thing was Fermina's doctor husband who carried himself and the film well. The director who also made Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had wonderful sets and scenery to play with but this is a dreadful film.

PS. If you've not done so, do read the book.Magnificent.

I could tell it looked crap just from the trailer, so missed it.

I didn't like the look of the trailer, either, but I would have gone to see it if the soundtrack had been in Spanish. John Crace wrote on of his funny 'Digested Read' columns about the book.

SB, I'm sorry to hear you are buying DVDs sight unseen. YOu can join www.sofa.cinema.co.uk and borrow 6 DVDs a month - keep them as long as you like before returning. They have a huge selection of foreign language films, my main reason for getting them.

Sheila

It's one of my 'desert island books' so I will steer clear! Couldn't bear to see it ill-treated!

I must say, GOF was the only one of the Harry Potter films I didn't like. Another reason not to go...

Thanks for the sofa cinema tip Sheila - as soon as I get a new credit card I might pluck up the courage to use it again.

SB, You can set also set it up as a standing order from your bank account. I suppose whether it's worthwhile depends on other sources and how many new ones you buy. I've got a back log of DVDs from newspaper give-aways, charity shops buys. Sofa cinema is good for for catching up with ones you've missed when they were released.

Sheila