Cine Hispano - Películas en espanol.

- Starring: Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Manuela Arcuri.

- Director: Vicente Aranda

- Encoding: Region 1 - NTSC

- Format: Widescreen, Color

- Rated: R

- Release Date: Jan. 21, 2003

- Run Time: 118 min.

- Languages: Spanish (Español)

- Subtitles: English (Mad Love), French

- General: 2001 - Spain - 118 min. - Feature, Color. 

- Genre/Type: Extramarital-affair, Jealousy, Marriage-arranged,.

- Themes: Crowned Heads, Fall From Power.

Isabel la Católica (Susi Sánchez) envía a su hija Juana (Pilar López de Ayala) a Flandes para que se case con Felipe el Hermoso en un matrimonio de conveniencia: Juana es una mercancía política que procurará una alianza dinástica entre los Reyes Católicos y el emperador Maximiliano.

Muy pronto, Felipe el Hermoso (Daniele Liotti) se delata presa de los deslices y la vida fácil. El amor desmedido que Juana siente por él se convierte en ataques de celos que perturban la relación matrimonial, afectada también por las intrigas políticas que se tejen a su alrededor. Un gran éxito de taquilla en España que fue, además, seleccionada por la academia de cine española para los Oscar.

This lavish historical drama was inspired by the true story of Juana the Mad, who became Queen of Spain before her willfulness and jealousy robbed her of her power. During the late 15th century, Juana (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) was born to the Spanish royal family, and as a teenager her mother, Queen Isabella (Susy Sanchez), arranged for her to marry Filipe (Daniele Liotti), a powerful nobleman from Brussels. The marriage is a matter of politics more than anything else, and Juana is upset that she must leave behind Alvaro de Estuniga (Eloy Azorin), the boy she loves, but from the first time she sees Filipe, she's passionately attracted to him, and he soon awakens her to the joys of lovemaking.

While Juana is happy with her new husband, Filipe and his confidantes believe she is too unskilled in the social graces to truly fulfill her royal obligations, leading to tension between Filipe and Juana. After Isabella dies, Juana becomes the Queen of Spain, but her rise to power is tempered by anger and disappointment when Juana learns Filipe is having an affair with Aixa (Manuela Arcuri), an exotic dancer. When Juana returns to Spain to take the throne, Filipe joins her, but brings along Aixa, obstensively as a maid; outraged, Juana decides to fight fire with fire and attempts to renew her romance with Alvaro. Filipe, who hopes to rise to political power in Castile, can no longer abide Juana's headstrong nature, and in cahoots with the Spanish authorities, he has her arrested — and she finds herself behind bars for the next 50 years.

Source: All Movie Guide