Luis García Berlanga
Luis García-Berlanga Martí (12 June 1921 – 13 November 2010) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema,[1] his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture under the Francoist dictatorship.[2]
Luis García Berlanga | |
|---|---|
 Statue of García Berlanga in Sos del Rey Católico | |
| Born | Luis García Berlanga Martí 12 June 1921 |
| Died | 13 November 2010 (aged 89) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1951–2002 |
| Spouse | María Jesús Manrique de Aragón (1954-2010, his death) |
| Children | 4, including José Luis García Berlanga |
Life and career
When he was young, Berlanga studied law, then philosophy. In 1947, he decided to enter the Institute of Cinematographic Investigations and Experiences (Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas) in Madrid.
In his youth he enrolled in the Blue Division in the Eastern Front of World War II to avoid having his father executed as a former Republican politician.[3][4] His debut as a film director in 1951 was with the film That Happy Couple in which he worked with Juan Antonio Bardem. With Bardem, he is considered to be one of Spanish film renovators after the Spanish Civil War. Among his films are several concerning Spanish film history, such as Welcome Mr. Marshall! or The Executioner. Bardem and he cofounded a film magazine, Objetivo, in 1953.[5] The magazine existed until 1956.[6] He worked on seven occasions with screenwriter Rafael Azcona.
Characteristic of his films are their sense of irony and the satires of different social and political situations. During the Francoist State, his ability to outwit the censors allowed him to make daring projects such as Miracles on Thursdays.
In 1968, he was head of the jury at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]
In 1986 he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Arts and in 1993 the Goya for best director for Everyone to Jail! His film Plácido was nominated in 1961 for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[8] Gold Medal for Fine Art (Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes) in 1981, Spanish National Cinematography Prize (Premio Nacional de Cinematografía) in 1980, and has been granted with the Italian Commendatore Order.
Berlanga won international prizes at several important film festivals: Cannes Film Festival, International Film Festival of Valencia, Montreal World Film Festival, and Berlin Film Festival. At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival he won a prize as one of the world's ten most prominent film directors. He has also been awarded a large number of national acknowledgements.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Welcome Mr. Marshall! | Yes | Yes | |
| Esa pareja feliz | Yes | Yes | Co-written and co-directed with Juan Antonio Bardem | |
| 1954 | Novio a la vista | Yes | Yes | |
| 1956 | Calabuch | Yes | Yes | |
| 1957 | Miracles on Thursdays | Yes | Yes | |
| 1958 | Familia Provisional | No | Yes | |
| 1961 | Plácido | Yes | Yes | |
| 1962 | Las cuatro verdades | Yes | Yes | |
| 1963 | El Verdugo | Yes | Yes | |
| 1964 | El extraño viaje | No | Idea | |
| 1967 | Las Pirañas | Yes | Yes | Argentine film |
| 1969 | ¡Vivan los novios! | Yes | Yes | |
| 1974 | Tamaño natural | Yes | Yes | French film |
| 1977 | La escopeta nacional | Yes | Yes | |
| Una Noche Embarazosa | No | Yes | ||
| 1981 | Patrimonio nacional | Yes | Yes | |
| 1982 | Nacional III | Yes | Yes | |
| 1985 | La vaquilla | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Moros y Cristianos | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993 | Everyone to Jail! | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | París-Tombuctú | Yes | Yes | Final feature-length film |
Associate producer
- Tenemos 18 Años (1959)
Short Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Paseos por una Guerra Antigua | Yes | Yes | Documentary short film co-written and co-directed with Juan Antonio Bardem, Augustín Navarro & Florentino Soria |
| Tres Cantos | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1949 | El Circo | Yes | Yes | |
| 1959 | Se Vende un Tranvía | No | Yes | Also supervisor |
| 1963 | La Muerte y el Leñador | Yes | Yes | Segment of the anthology film "Las Cuatro Verdades" |
| 2002 | El Sueño de la Maestra | Yes | Yes | Final short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Villarriba y Villabajo | No | Creator | Televisión Española series; 25 episodes Co-creator with José Luis García Berlanga & Antonio Oliver |
| 1997 | Blasco Ibáñez | Yes | Yes | Televisión Española miniseries; 2 episodes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Se vende un tranvia | Comprador de la baliza aerostática | Short Film Uncredited |
| 1967 | Las Pirañas | Espectador de cine | Uncredited |
| 1968 | Días de viejo color | Mr. Marshall | |
| No somos de piedra | Guardía Urbano | ||
| Tuset Street | Aparicio | ||
| 1969 | Sharon vestida de rojo | Victor | |
| 1973 | Apunte sobre Ana | Short film | |
| 1977 | Tigres de Papel | Matón ultraderechista | Uncredited |
| 1980 | Cuentos Eróticos | Hombre del metro | |
| Nostalgia de Comedia Muda | Short film | ||
| 1981 | Tragala Perro | ||
| Retratos en el Retrete | Short film | ||
| 1982 | Un pasota con corbata | ||
| 1984 | Dinero Negro | Peris | |
| 1994 | La Vida Siempre es Corta | Short film | |
| 1998 | Ni contigo ni sin tí | Dios | TV Series; Episode "Cuestión de Fe" |
| 2001 | Corazón de bombón | Berlanga | |
| El Apagon | Short film | ||
| Hola Artemio | |||
| Extranjeros de sí mismos | Himself | Documentary film | |
See also
References
- Weber, Bruce (November 16, 2010). "Luis Garcia Berlanga, Filmmaker, Is Dead at 89". New York Times. pp. A28.
- Holder, Stephen (October 21, 1994). "Critic's Choice/Film; Subversive Intentions Behind the Humor". New York Times.
- "Luis Garcia Berlanga". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 November 2010.
- Berlanga's Blue Division notebooks El pais 14 November 2011
- S. Marsh (15 December 2005). Popular Spanish Film Under Franco: Comedy and the Weakening of the State. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-230-51187-3. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- Virginia Higginbotham (27 January 2014). Spanish Film Under Franco. University of Texas Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-292-76147-6. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- "Berlinale 1968: Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
External links
- Luis García Berlanga – Luis Garcia Berlanga's biography at Senses of Cinema
- Luis García Berlanga – In Spanish
- Berlanga Film Museum - In English
