by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Set in Castille in the 1860s, El Clavo stars Amparo Rivelles as enigmatic mute girl Bianca. For reasons he cannot even explain, young jurist Javier Zarco (Rafael Duran), who could have his pick of any woman in the region, falls hopelessly in love with the silent Bianca. Separated by fate, Zarco and Bianca are brought back together, in a manner of speaking, when the jurist must preside over the girl's trial for murder. The circumstances of this killing are as bizarre and mystical as everything else in this haunting little film. El Clavo was mostly lensed on location in the Iberian peninsula.
