Issue date: 01 Apr, 2015
SPANISH FILMS
Film director José Luis Borau and actor Paco Martínez Soria personify the Spanish Film series, which pays homage to the great figures in cinema.
Jose Luis Borau (Zaragoza, 1929-Madrid, 2012) earned a law degree in his home town where he worked for some time as a film critic at the El Heraldo de Aragón. After settling in Madrid, he studied at the Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas (Institute for Research and Filmatic Experiences), which then became the Escuela Oficial de Cinematografía (Official Film School), and presented “En el Río” as his final project. His two first films, the western entitled “Ride and Kill” and the crime thriller “Double Edge Crime”, were not box office successes. In 1967 he launched “El Imán”, his own production company, and for several years he filmed documentaries and adverts until 1974, when he shot the first film he considered to be strictly personal – “B Must Die”. His great success came with “Poachers”, considered one of the great films of the late Franco period, earning him the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival (1975). Four years later he released “La Sabina” and in 1984 he directed the la Spanish-American co-production “On the Line”, shot in English. He continued with titles such as “My Nanny”, “Niño nadie” and “Leo”, for which he received the Goya Award for Best Director. Between 1994 and 1999 he served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and years later he presided over the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE). In 2008 he was made a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy.
Photograph of Jose Luis Borau: © Enrique Cidoncha, VEGAP, Madrid, 2015
Paco Martínez Soria (Tarazona, Zaragoza, 1902-Madrid, 1982) was an actor and was also involved in the theatre business, beginning his life as an artist on the stages of Barcelona. In 1938 he made his debut with the play “El Infierno”, by Antonio Paso, and in 1940 he founded his own theatre company. Between 1942 and 1944 he was made director and first actor for the resident company of the Teatro de la Zarzuela theatre and becoming one of the highest acclaimed actors by the public. He has performed in dozens of hit films such as “Tourism Is a Great Invention”, “Abuelo Made in Spain” or “Se Armó el Belén”, with “City Life is Not for Me” being one of the great box office hits. During the 1970s, prominent films include “Hay Que Educar a Papá”, “El Abuelo Tiene un Plan” or “Vaya Par de Gemelos”. His last performance was in the film “La Tía de Carlos”. He was both endearing and charismatic, embodying the figure of the bumpkin like no other actor had done before.
Photograph of Paco Martínez Soria: Photograph is a still image from the film “Estoy hecho un chaval” courtesy of Video Mercury Films
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