A kind of darkly comic adaptation of Vertigo-and a clear influence on Buñuel's That Obscure Object of Desire-Saura's first film with Geraldine Chaplin signaled a move in his work toward a greater interest in psychological and sexual issues. A provincial doctor, Julian (López Vázquez), falls in love with Elena (Chaplin), the cool, Nordic wife of his best friend. When his advances are refused, Julian sets out to 'create' his own Elena out of his assistant, Ana (also played by Chaplin), a woman whose temperament couldn't be further from that of her model. Julian puts her through a rigorous (and often bizarre) routine of exercise, make-up and fashion; when the transformation is finally completed to Julian's satisfaction, the only problem which remains is what to do with the 'original' and her husband. In Chaplin, Saura found a perfect complement for his own film style; there's a wonderful suppleness to her acting, a remarkable ease with which she slips in and out of each role, which parallels Saura's own penchant for moving between levels of reality. A milestone in the evolution of this major Spanish film artist. Richard Peña