TV Reviews : ‘Soul of Spain’: Not Quite, but an Entertaining Travelogue

“The Soul of Spain,” airing tonight at 8 on Channels 28 and 15 and at 9 on Channel 24, is a fine, entertaining travelogue.

However, this “National Geographic” special wanted to be much more. Using the framework of an examination of how this nation of some 40 million has made the dramatic transition from dictatorship to democracy, “Soul of Spain” tries mightily to get at the core of the Spanish mind, heart and character. The picture that emerges--of Spaniards clinging to the past in the face of sweeping economic, social and political changes--is an interesting history lesson but ultimately falls short of its goal.

Writer-director Miriam Birch begins with a good mix of recent history and politics, showing how King Juan Carlos transformed the nation into a constitutional monarchy after Francisco Franco’s death in 1975. From there, “Soul” segues into segments on the art of flamenco, bullfighting, the production of sherry in Jerez, the elaborate celebration of Holy Week in Seville, and Antoni Gaudi’s wonderful architectural masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. All of the segments are entertaining; all illuminate, to one degree or another, the mix of tradition and new freedoms. But there are too many to do any of them justice.

Although “Soul” doesn’t quite get to the soul of Espana, there is more than enough to recommend it as a charming travel hour. Make yourself a pitcher of sangria and enjoy.