appeared in ten of his films. Ana Torrent as Ana, 8 years old Conchi Pérez as Irene, 11 years old Maite Sánchez as Maite, 5 years old Geraldine Chaplin as Ana's mother (María) and older Ana Mónica Randall as Aunt Paulina Florinda Chico as Rosa, a maid Josefina Díaz as Ana's grandmother Héctor Alterio as Anselmo, Ana's father Mirta Miller as Amelia, Anselmo's mistress Germán Cobos as Nicolás, Amelia's husband Title The title Cría Cuervos comes from the Spanish proverb, "Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos". This translates as, "Raise ravens, and they'll gouge your eyes out" and is generally used for someone who has bad luck in raising children, or raising them badly. It may also imply rebellious behavior of youth or that every good act will return to haunt you. The phrase "Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos" is said to originate with Don Álvaro de Luna of Castile during a hunting expedition. In the course of the hunt his party came across a beggar with terrible scarring in the place of eyes. The beggar explained that he had raised a raven for three years with affection and great care, but it attacked him one day, leaving him blind. The bon mot was Don Álvaro's reply. Cría Cuervos was originally released as Cría! in the United States and as Raise Ravens in the UK, but the original title Cría Cuervos is now used in both countries. Analysis This film was made during a period where Carlos Saura was considered one of the great opponents, along with other directors, of the Francoist Spain, with characters and themes in the film alluding to Saura's interpretations and criticisms of Franco-inspired truths. The film stresses the disparity between Ana's inner world of private traumas and the outer world of political realities and the Francoist State. Ana will cope with her guilt in both arenas. When asked to elucidate the nature of Ana's suffering, the director replied: "Cría Cuervos is a sad film, yes. But that's part of my belief that childhood is one of the most terrible parts in the life of a human being. What I'm trying to say is that at that age you've no idea where it is you are going, only that people are taking you somewhere, leading you, pulling you and you are frightened. You don't know where you're going or who you are or