Juana de Loco is a film that questions if love above duty is more natural for a woman than a man. Easily answered if one is Elizabeth I, or Catherine the Great, however, Juana lets her lust for her husband overtake her sense of duty. The film has a rich and sensuous look in staging of 15th century Spanish courtlife, but beyond that, its revisionist take on the historical record is questionable.
Although Queen, Juana is a victim of the males in the court who surround her. Her lack of control permits the manipulation of her husband to have her declared incompetent to rule. An ambitious husband who, although a beauty, is none the less not in the same league as his highborn wife, he strikes a deal with her father, and using her jealousy against her, gets the throne and free rein to bed whomever. Smart guy. He plays the man's game and gets the throne. Juana on the other hand, plays the game according to the rules for women and gets incarcerated for the remainder of her life. Career or love?
Actor de Ayala is competent in her role, but lacks any depth in presentation of emotions beyond a shrewish suspicion. Her emotional response to finding her husband's disloyalty is rage, but as Ayala presents it, she is a 15 yr. old loosing her boyfriend. Ayala's seems also limited by her costar, who is stunning, but vacuous. He never goes beyond a one- dimensional disinterested stare. I'm sure this must mean he is smoldering and sexy, but if this is acting, give me Antonio Bandaras.
Although Queen, Juana is a victim of the males in the court who surround her. Her lack of control permits the manipulation of her husband to have her declared incompetent to rule. An ambitious husband who, although a beauty, is none the less not in the same league as his highborn wife, he strikes a deal with her father, and using her jealousy against her, gets the throne and free rein to bed whomever. Smart guy. He plays the man's game and gets the throne. Juana on the other hand, plays the game according to the rules for women and gets incarcerated for the remainder of her life. Career or love?
Actor de Ayala is competent in her role, but lacks any depth in presentation of emotions beyond a shrewish suspicion. Her emotional response to finding her husband's disloyalty is rage, but as Ayala presents it, she is a 15 yr. old loosing her boyfriend. Ayala's seems also limited by her costar, who is stunning, but vacuous. He never goes beyond a one- dimensional disinterested stare. I'm sure this must mean he is smoldering and sexy, but if this is acting, give me Antonio Bandaras.