With a recent induction into the Music Branch following on the heels of his nomination for his score to The Constant Gardener, the Spanish composer\'s work appears to be highly esteemed by both critics and peers. Penelope Cruz represented the film alone for Best Actress, Almodovar not even securing a Best Foreign Language Film nomination.Īlberto Iglesias\'s score should also be counted among those unluckily passed over by the arbiters of cinematic taste in Los Angeles. Despite exuding a far warmer and cuddlier air than the director\'s divisive Bad Education, and securing strong box office results for a foreign language film, Volver\'s showing at the recent Oscars was lean indeed. Reviews suggest the film is a typical effort from the acclaimed Spaniard: a high-strung female-centred melodrama with extroverted colour palette, earthy humour, black comedy, some unusual genre crossover (here a ghost story), and a fair bit of self conscious camp.
Acclaimed on its presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Volver reunited director Pedro Almodovar with two of his leading ladies of years gone by - Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura.
