Luis García Berlanga
Statue of García Berlanga in Sos del Rey Católico
Born
Luis García Berlanga Martí

(1921-06-12)12 June 1921
Valencia, Spain
Died13 November 2010(2010-11-13) (aged 89)
Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
Occupations
Years active1951–2002
SpouseMaría Jesús Manrique de Aragón (1954-2010, his death)
Children4, including José Luis and Carlos

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]

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

  1. ↑ Weber, Bruce (November 16, 2010). "Luis Garcia Berlanga, Filmmaker, Is Dead at 89". New York Times. pp. A28.
  2. ↑ Holder, Stephen (October 21, 1994). "Critic's Choice/Film; Subversive Intentions Behind the Humor". New York Times.
  3. ↑ "Luis Garcia Berlanga". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 November 2010.
  4. ↑ Berlanga's Blue Division notebooks El pais 14 November 2011
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Berlinale 1968: Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  8. ↑ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
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