Pedro Almodóvar

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Melding melodrama with screwball farce, this Academy Award–nominated black comedy was Pedro Almodóvar’s international breakthrough and secured his place at the vanguard of modern Spanish cinema. Continuing the auteur’s exploration of the female psyche, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown tells the story of Pepa—played by the director’s frequent collaborator Carmen Maura—who resolves to kill herself with a batch of sleeping-pill-laced gazpacho after her lover leaves her. Fortunately, she is interrupted by a deliciously chaotic series of events. The filmmaker channeled Hollywood inspiration into his own unique vision, arriving at the irreverent humor and vibrant visual sense that define his work today. With an exceptional ensemble cast that also includes Antonio Banderas and Rossy de Palma, this film shows an artist in total control of his craft.

Film Info

  • Spain
  • 1988
  • 89 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • Spanish
  • Spine #855

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Pedro Almodóvar and executive producer Agustín Almodóvar, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
  • New interviews with Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, and actor Carmen Maura
  • New discussion by film scholar Richard Peña of the film’s impact in Spain and abroad
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by novelist and critic Elvira Lindo

New cover by Malika Favre

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Pedro Almodóvar and executive producer Agustín Almodóvar, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
  • New interviews with Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, and actor Carmen Maura
  • New discussion by film scholar Richard Peña of the film’s impact in Spain and abroad
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by novelist and critic Elvira Lindo

New cover by Malika Favre

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Cast
Carmen Maura
Pepa
Fernando Guillén
Iván
Antonio Banderas
Carlos
Julieta Serrano
Lucía
Rossy de Palma
Marisa
María Barranco
Candela
Kiti Manver
Paulina Morales
Guillermo Montesinos
Taxi driver
Chus Lampreave
Doorwoman
Yayo Calvo
Lucía’s father
Loles León
Secretary
Ángel de Andrés López
Policeman 1
José Antonio Navarro
Policeman 2
Credits
Director
Pedro Almodóvar
Written by
Pedro Almodóvar
Executive producer
Agustín Almodóvar
Director of production
Esther García
Associate producer
Antonio Lloréns
Director of photography
José Luis Alcaine
Editor
José Salcedo
Music
Bernardo Bonezzi
Costumes
José María de Cossío
Sound
Gilles Ortión

Current

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Laughing and Crying With Carmen Maura
A vibrant mix of melodrama and screwball, Pedro Almodóvar’s eighth feature, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, was the Spanish director’s first to garner international acclaim and an Oscar nomination. Leading the film’s remarkable ense…
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Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: A Sweet New Style

Pedro Almodóvar’s Oscar-nominated breakthrough revels in the complexities of the female psyche.

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The director of Party Girl celebrates two favorite dance films; a classic noir by her favorite director, Billy Wilder; and a pair of comedies written by Edwin Justus Mayer, her grandfather.

Almodóvar, From Now to Then
Almodóvar, From Now to Then

Rejecting the repression of Franco-era Spain, Pedro Almodóvar made his name with exuberant films set in an eternal present. But by the turn of the century, his cinema began to drift toward memories of a not so distant past.

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Screwball Almodóvar in Denver

Repertory Picks

Screwball Almodóvar in Denver

Pedro Almodóvar’s pitch-black comedy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, his first film to earn an Oscar nomination, plays in Denver this Saturday and next Monday.