Luis García Berlanga

12.06.1921, Valencia, Spain - 13.11.2010, Madrid, Spain

 

Director
Berlanga is a Spanish director and screenwriter. He graduated from the Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias cinematográficas (IIEC) in Madrid in 1949. Together with a fellow student Juan Antonio Bardem he founded the Altamira production company for which they co-wrote and co-dirceted the comedy Esa pareja feliz (1951). They co-wrote the screenplay for the film Welcome Mr. Marshall (Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall, 1952), the first film Berlanga directed on his own. It was shown at film festivals in Cannes and Venice. Afterwards, he made Plácido (1961) which was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Film. His next film, The Executioner (El verdugo, 1963), won him the FIPRESCI award at the Venice Film Festival and is considered his most successful film. His biggest commercial success was The National Shotgun (La escopeta nacional, 1977), the first film in a satirical trilogy that portrays the influence of the post-Franco democracy on the old aristocracy (the rest of the trilogy consist of Patrimonio nacional / National Heritage, 1981 and Nacional III, 1982). In the late 1970s and early 1980s he was the director of the Spanish Cinematheque. His other important films are Calabuch (1956), Three Fables of Love (Los jueves, milagro, 1957), Life Size - Grandeur nature,1973) which was banned until 1978, The Heifer (La vaquilla, 1985), Everyone Off to Jail (Todos a la cárcel, 1993) which won the Spanish Goya in the category Best Film and Best Director in 1994. The comedy París Tombuctú (1999) is his most recent film.

Filmography


Films by this director

Welcome Mr. Marshall

(Bienvenido, Míster Marshall, Spain, 1953)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Manuel Berenguer
Synopsis:

An American delegation is about to visit the small Spanish village of Villar del Río in order to donate some financial aid. At first the villagers and their deaf mayor have no idea how to prepare for these guests but soon they begin to make big plans for a welcome party. It is then that all of the prejudices of Spanish people towards Americans and vice versa come to light.

b/w, 78'

Calabuch

(Šanjolska, Italy, 1956)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Francisco Sempere
Synopsis:

A famous atomic physicist escapes from the world of science and finds peace in a small coastal town in Spain. In a new community where nobody knows him, he begins an anonymous life as a bum and soon ends up in jail. Luckily, in such a small picturesque town nobody thinks too much about the jail and the prisoners get to leave the jail whenever they need to.

b/w, 93'

Plácido

(Spain, Italy, 1961)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Francisco Sempere
Synopsis:

The hero of this film is Plácido, a poor truck driver who tries to pay off the loan for his truck in time so it does not get repossessed. Even though he is unlucky and always broke, after taking part in a Christmastime humanitarian action his opinion of his problems changes.

b/w, 85'

The Executioner

(El verdugo, Spain, Italy, 1963)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Tonino Delli Colli
Synopsis:

Executioner Amadeo is about to retire. Since his profession is so peculiar he is worried about his replacement. His daughter Carmen has a different problem: as soon as men realize what her father does, they run away from her. A possible solution for both of them is José, an attractive young man who works as an undertaker.

b/w, 90'

The National Shotgun

(La escopeta nacional, 1977)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Carlos Suárez
Synopsis:

A businessman from Catalonia decides to organize a weekend hunting party during which he hopes to attract investors for his new project. Since he does not have an estate where the hunt can take place he decides to rent the estate of an impoverished nobleman. On the weekend a group of elite aristocrats, members of the government and even dictators in exile and mighty priests arrive to the estate…

digital, color, 95 min

Everyone Off to Jail

(Todos a la cárcel, 1993)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Alfredo F. Mayo
Synopsis:

This comedy takes place in a jail in Valencia. There is a festive gathering of former prisoners, victims of the general Franco’s regime. The event is covered by the media. The ex-prisoners are now bankers, politicians, mafia, priests… and each of them has his own reason for attending.

digital, color, 99 min

Los jueves, milagro

(Spain, Italy, 1957)

Directed by: Luis García Berlanga
PHOTOGRAPHY: Francisco Sempere
Synopsis:

Zahvaljujući ljekovitoj vodi, staro lječilište u zabitom španjolskom planinskom gradiću Fonticelli nekad je bilo prilično popularno. No s vremenom se broj gostiju smanjivao i lječilište je potonulo u zaborav, što će njegova starog vlasnika Don Ramóna tijekom druge polovine 50-ih godina prošlog stoljeća naposljetku prisiliti na drastičnu promjenu poslovanja. Nezadovoljan time što mu dolazi sve siromašnija i nimalo aristokratska klijentela, D...

b/w, 84'
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