Spain

  • José Luis Borau – Crimen de doble filo AKA Double Edged Crime (1965)

    José Luis Borau1961-1970CrimeDramaSpain
    Crimen de doble filo (1965)
    Crimen de doble filo (1965)

    Andrés, son of a famous pianist, discovers the corpse of a tuner killed in his shop, located in the basement of his house. Then a suspect leaves, but in the fear of possible reprisals he doesn’t tell anything to the police, only to his wife Laura. From that moment on, Andrés feels threatened and persecuted.Read More »

  • Various – Pastel de sangre AKA Blood Cake (1971)

    Various1971-1980HorrorSpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    Pastel de sangre (1971)
    Pastel de sangre (1971)

    With Spanish cinema still under the oppressive Franco regime, four filmmakers banded together to create a horror anthology that examined classic themes through transgressive perceptions: Directed by José María Vallés, TAROT stars Julián Ugarte (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) in a grim tale of fanaticism set in the Middle Ages. Eusebio Poncela (THE CANNIBAL MAN) and Marisa Paredes (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) star in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, a unique take on Mary Shelley’s classic directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED). TERROR AMONG CHRISTIANS, directed by Francesc Bellmunt, is a jolting vampire allegory set during Roman times. Jaime Chávarri – co-writer of VAMPYROS LESBOS and future icon of New Spanish Cinema – directs the twisted ghost story THE DANCE OR EMOTIONAL SURVIVALS starring Luis Ciges (THE CREATURE). Never available outside of Spain, CAKE OF BLOOD is now scanned in 4K from the original negative for the first time ever.Read More »

  • Leopoldo Torre Nilsson – La casa del ángel (1957)

    Leopoldo Torre Nilsson1951-1960DramaSpain

    The House of the Angel focuses on the ruling class in 1920s Argentina, a deeply repressive society where political arguments were often settled by duels, and young women were expected to be totally ignorant of sex.Read More »

  • Eloy de la Iglesia – El diputado AKA Confessions of a Congressman (1978)

    Eloy de la Iglesia1971-1980DramaPoliticsQueer Cinema(s)Spain
    El diputado (1978)
    El diputado (1978)

    Fighting for liberty, love, and your secret teenage lover are the themes of Confessions of a Congressman and our protagonist Roberto Orbea is a leader and follower of the ideals of his radical leftist opposition party, but he’s hiding a secret from the party and his wife Carmen: he can’t resist the cheap beautiful street teenagers that bad-boy Nes throws his way for various pleasures. Eventually the fascists find out about his proclivities and hire the blonde and angelic-looking Juanito to infiltrate Roberto’s life. But after a while Juanito starts to find his place with Roberto, with politics, and even with Carmen. With the elections fast approaching all three members of this strange throuple will have to decide how much they’re willing to lose to avoid revealing the truth.Read More »

  • Josefina Molina – Vera, un cuento cruel AKA Vera, a Cruel Story (1974)

    1971-1980DramaJosefina MolinaSpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    Vera, un cuento cruel (1974)
    Vera, un cuento cruel (1974)

    Alfredo marries Vera, a French girl and they live on his estate in Spain with a butler. Vera dies, and the butler encourages Alfredo’s necrophilia; they pretend that she is still alive. Alfredo decides to return to France, but the butler entombs him, poisons his own sweetheart, and rides off leaving Alfredo to rot in the crypt.Read More »

  • Vicente Aranda – Fata/Morgana (1966)

    Vicente Aranda1961-1970ArthouseFantasySpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    Fata:Morgana (1966)
    Fata:Morgana (1966)

    A man rehearses a lecture he is planning to give, analyzing serial killers. He claims that a woman is soon to be murdered in the city. It is inevitable, he explains, as some people are born victims while others are born to kill. He plans to identify the future victim through a series of photographs of violent acts.

    Fashion model Gim, played by iconic Spanish actress Teresa Gimpera, finds herself alone in a Barcelona that seems almost deserted. She seeks out her lover, Alvaro, for help. On her way to meet him she is harassed by a series of men and followed by a huge and menacing silver truck with blacked out windows. Through a loud speaker on the truck a mechanical voice orders all persons to leave the city immediately.
    Gim finds that Alvaro’s former girlfriend, Miriam, is staying in his house having just returned from London where a terrible but unexplained event occurred. In Alvaro’s “art chamber”, an obviously disturbed Miriam finds a large knife disguised as a metallic silver fish.Read More »

  • Maurice Ronet – La vida es magnífica AKA Le voleur de Tibidabo AKA The Thief of Tibadabo (1964)

    1961-1970ComedyCrimeMaurice RonetSpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    La vida es magnífica (1964)
    La vida es magnífica (1964)

    Synopsis:
    ‘In this lighthearted crime comedy, Nicolas is a Barcelona ice cream vendor who inadvertently helps a friend who has just committed a robbery. He is chased by several shady underworld characters trying to get their hands on the stolen loot.’
    – Dan Pavlides

    Maurice Ronet’s directorial debut.Read More »

  • Fernando Fernán Gómez – Ninette y un señor de Murcia (1966)

    Fernando Fernán Gómez1961-1970ComedySpain
    Ninette y un señor de Murcia (1966)
    Ninette y un señor de Murcia (1966)

    Quote:
    Andrés Martínez Segura is a mature and single man who has never left Murcia. After inheriting a bookstore and three hundred thousand pesetas in cash from his aunt Eugenia, he decides to take a trip to Paris, where his friend Armando lives. The latter seeks him accommodation in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Sánchez, an old couple of republican exiles, where Andrés will have an affair with Ninette, the attractive daughter of both.
    —jsanchezRead More »

  • Isabel Coixet – Un Amor (2023)

    Isabel Coixet2021-2030DramaRomanceSpain
    Un Amor (2023)
    Un Amor (2023)

    Upon settling in the countryside village of La Escapa, Nat accepts a disturbing sexual proposal by neighbour Andreas, paving the way for a self-consuming passion.

    5 wins, 35 nominations.Read More »

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