Carlos Saura

04.01.1932, Huesca, Spain - 10.02.2023, Collado Mediano, Spain

 

Director

Carlos Saura is one of the most important Spanish directors. He began his career as a professional photographer, and started to work on films as an amateur. In 1952, he enrolled to Instituto de Investigaciones y Estudios Cinematográficos from which he graduated in 1957. He made his directing debut with the documentary Cuenca (1958). His first feature film was The Delinquents (Los golfos, 1962). Throuought his career, he won many awards (Berlin, Cannes, and San Sebastian). In 1990, he received two Goya awards (the prestigious Spanish film award) for his film Ay, Carmela. His most famous films include The Hunt (La caza, 1965), Peppermint Frappé (1967), The Garden of Delights (El Jardín de las delicias, 1970), Cousin Angelica (La Prima Angélica, 1974), Raise Ravens (Cría cuervos, 1976), Fast, Fast (Deprisa, deprisa, 1980), Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre, 1981), Carmen (1983), Shoot! (Dispara, 1993), Goya (1999), Io, Don Giovanni (2009). A number of his films were dedicated to music and dance: feature film Salomé (2002), documentary Fados (2007), Flamenco, Flamenco (2010), musical documentaries Argentina (2015) and Jota de Saura (2016). His last films are documentaries Renzo Piano: An Architect for Santander
(2018) and Las paredes hablan (2022), and musical The King of all the World (2021).

Filmography


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Films by this director

Carmen

(1983)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Teodoro Escamilla
Synopsis:

A group of flamenco dancers performs a very Spanish version of Prosper Mérimée’s novel. Antonio (choreographer) falls in love with Carmen (the main dancer). Their life story starts to resemble the story in the novel ... This is an outstanding film with many nominations and awards. Among others, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, received the Bodil award for Best European Film, two awards at the Cannes film festival and the Spanish Film critics’ award (CEC) for Best Supportin...

color, 102 min

Tango

(Tango, no me dejes nunca, 1998)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Vittorio Storaro
Synopsis:

Mario Suárez is a director preparing a film about tango. His wife, who acts in his new film, has recently left him. He is lonely and becomes close to Elana, the talented young dancer. However, her boyfriend is one of the main financiers of the film… Watch a scene from the film!

color, 115 minuta

Goya in Bordeaux

(Goya en Burdeos, 1999)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Vittorio Storaro
Synopsis:

This is a story about the painter Francisco Goya’s life. Actor, Francisco Rabal, who played Goya, won the Spanish Goya film award in 2000. We follow the events from Goya’s last years when he lived in voluntary exile in Bordeaux. He is old and ill and lives with his wife Leocadia and daughter Rosario. He spends his time painting and reminiscing about important moments in his life.

color, 107 min

Anna and the Wolves

(Ana y los lobos, 1973)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Luis Cuadrado
Synopsis:

We follow the changes within a rich Spanish family caused by the new governess, an Englishwoman named Ana. The head of the family is an old despotic mother whose personality strongly influenced her three sons: José, a weakling obsessed with the army, the religious Fernando and lady’s man Juan. All their weaknesses become apparent when all three of them feel sexual desire for the new governess.

color, 35 mm, 102 min

Raise Ravens

(Cria cuervos, 1976)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Teodoro Escamilla
Synopsis:

After witnessing her father’s death in his lover’s arms, nine-year-old Ana, together with her sisters Irene and Maite, is left alone with her strict but kind aunt Paulina, polite maid Rosa and mute grandma who reminisces the past through old family photos.

color, HD, 107 min

Ay, Carmela!

(1990)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: José Luis Alcaine
Synopsis:

Carmela and Paulino are traveling entertainers who perform their play in front of Republican troops fighting in the Civil war. One day they wander into territory held by followers of General Franco and end up facing an execution squad. At the last minute they are pardoned by a lieutenant, under the condition that they perform their play.

color, digital, 102 min

Taxi

(1996)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Vittorio Storaro
Synopsis:

This is a story about the xenophobic world of a group of taxi drivers. Their goal is to eliminate all unwanted groups from the streets of Madrid: Arabian immigrants and other foreigners, blacks, homosexuals, lesbians, transvestites and drug addicts. Paz accidentally finds out that her father is the leader and Dani, a boy that she likes, is a member of this group.

color, digital, 110 min

Fado

(Fados, Portugal, 2007)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: José Luis
Synopsis:

A documentary film devoted to Portuguese fado music that emerged at the beginning of the 19th century in poor neighborhoods of Lisbon. It consists of twenty songs and choreographies by famous musicians such as Amália Rodrigues, Mariza and Caetano Veloso. It is more of an homage to fado than it is a history.

color, digital, 90 min

Rođakinja Angélica

(La prima Angélica, 1974.)

Directed by: Carlos Saura
PHOTOGRAPHY: Luis Cuadrado
Synopsis:

Poštujući majčinu želju da bude pokopana u obiteljskoj grobnici u Segoviji, sredovječni sin Luis putuje iz Barcelone u kraj gdje je proveo dio djetinjstva. Jednom davno roditelji su ga vozili istom tom cestom da provede dio ljeta kod bake, no zbog nastaloga španjolskoga građanskog rata posjet se odužio. Tada se prvi put zaljubio, u rođakinju Angélicu. Sada se ponovno susreću, a rođakinja Angélica je majka kćeri koja nosi njeno ime. Carlos Saura je za ovaj film dobio Nagradu žirija u Cannesu 197...

digital, color, 107 min
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