Carlos Saura
Encyclopedia
Carlos Saura Atarés is a Spanish
film director and photographer.
, a painter), he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.
He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid
in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies. He also taught there until 1963.
, where he received the Silver Bear for Best Director
for his film La caza
. In 1967, his film Peppermint Frappé
also received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival
. He won the Golden Bear
in 1981 at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
for his film Deprisa, Deprisa
.
The movies La prima Angélica
(Cousin Angélica) of 1973 and Cría cuervos
(Raising Ravens [from the Spanish phrase: Cria cuervos y te sacaran los ojos (Raise ravens and they will peck out your eyes)]) of 1975 received the special prize of the jury
at the Cannes Film Festival
. His movie Mama cumple 100 años"(Mom is celebrating her 100 years) was nominated in 1979 for the best foreign film at the Oscar Awards .
Saura has become known for making movies featuring traditional flamenco and other Spanish dances. His Flamenco
Trilogy of the 1980s includes Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), Carmen
, and El amor brujo
. He later made the movies Flamenco
(1995), Tango
(1998), and Fados (2007).
His 1989 film La noche oscura
was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival
.
Saura considers his film on surrealist master Luis Buñuel
to be his best cinematic work. In an interview to an online film magazine, DearCinema.com
http://dearcinema.com/camera-is-my-memory-carlos-saura/, he says about Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón (Buñuel and the table of King Solomon -2001): “That’s the greatest film I’ve ever made. I like the film but nobody else seems to like it. I’m sure Buñuel would have loved this film. But perhaps only he would have loved it. Everything you see in the film is actually based on conversations I had with him.”
In 1990, he received the Goya Award for the best director and best script for ¡Ay, Carmela!. He was chosen as director for the official film of the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona
, Marathon (1993).
In 2008, Carlos Saura was honoured with a Global Life Time Achievement Award at the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival, organized by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI)http://dearcinema.com/spanish-director-carlos-saura-to-get-lifetime-achievement-award-at-mumbai-fest/
in 1957. They had two sons, Carlos (b. 1958) and Antonio (b. 1960).
On 27 December 1982 he married Mercedes Pérez. They had three sons, Manuel (b. 1980), Adrián (b. 1984) and Diego (b. 1987).
Between marriages, Saura had at least one known son, Shane (b. 1974), by the actress Geraldine Chaplin
. His relationship history led some to believe he may have fathered more children. After his second marriage, he was also the father of a daughter named Ana (b. December 1994) by Eulalia Ramón.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
film director and photographer.
Early life
Born into a family of artists (his mother was a pianist and his brother, Antonio SauraAntonio Saura
Antonio Saura was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties whose work has marked several generations of artists and whose critical voice is often remembered.-Biography:He began painting and writing in 1947 in Madrid while suffering from...
, a painter), he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.
He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies. He also taught there until 1963.
Career
In 1957-1958, Saura created his first film (Cuenca). In 1966, he was honored at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival16th Berlin International Film Festival
The 16th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 24 to July 5, 1966.-Jury:* Pierre Braunberger * Franz Seitz* Emilio Villalba Welsh* Khwaja Ahmad Abbas* Pier Paolo Pasolini* Lars Forssell* Hollis Alpert...
, where he received the Silver Bear for Best Director
Silver Bear for Best Director
The Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
for his film La caza
La caza
La Caza is a 1966 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film is a psychological thriller about three veterans of the Spanish Civil War who meet to go rabbit hunting. It was Saura's first international success, winning the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 16th Berlin International Film...
. In 1967, his film Peppermint Frappé
Peppermint Frappé
Peppermint Frappé is a 1967 Spanish psychological thriller directed by Carlos Saura, starring Geraldine Chaplin and José Luis López Vázquez. The story centers on a man who becomes obsessed with the wife of an old friend believing her to be a mysterious drummer that he once fell in love with at a...
also received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival
18th Berlin International Film Festival
The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1968.-Jury:* Luis García Berlanga * Peter Schamoni* Alex Viany* Georges de Beauregard* Alexander Walker* Domenico Meccoli* Carl-Eric Nordberg...
. He won the Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
in 1981 at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
31st Berlin International Film Festival
The 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981.-Jury:* Jutta Brückner * Denis Héroux* Astrid Henning-Jensen* Irina Petrovna Kuptschenko* Peter Bichsel* Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi...
for his film Deprisa, Deprisa
Deprisa, Deprisa
Deprisa, Deprisa is a 1981 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. In the English-speaking world, it has been released under the titles Faster, Faster and Fast, Fast. It tells the story of a gang of juvenile delinquents.-Plot:...
.
The movies La prima Angélica
La prima Angélica
Cousin Angelica is a 1974 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. Starring José Luis López Vázquez as a middle-aged man whose memories of his childhood during the Spanish Civil War make him reenact his past as the old man he is today...
(Cousin Angélica) of 1973 and Cría cuervos
Cria Cuervos
Cría cuervos is a 1976 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film is an allegorical drama about an eight year old girl dealing with loss. Highly acclaimed, it received the Special Jury Prize Award at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(Raising Ravens [from the Spanish phrase: Cria cuervos y te sacaran los ojos (Raise ravens and they will peck out your eyes)]) of 1975 received the special prize of the jury
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. His movie Mama cumple 100 años"(Mom is celebrating her 100 years) was nominated in 1979 for the best foreign film at the Oscar Awards .
Saura has become known for making movies featuring traditional flamenco and other Spanish dances. His Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
Trilogy of the 1980s includes Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), Carmen
Carmen (1983 film)
Carmen is a 1983 film adaptation of the novel Carmen by Prosper Mérimée, using music from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. It was directed and choreographed in the flamenco style by Carlos Saura...
, and El amor brujo
El Amor brujo (1986 film)
El amor brujo or Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy, Part 3: El Amor Brujo is a 1986 Spanish musical film written and directed by Carlos Saura. It was directed and choreographed in the flamenco style. It is the third part of the Saura's flamenco trilogy he made in the 80's, after Bodas de sangre in 1981...
. He later made the movies Flamenco
Flamenco (1995 film)
Flamenco is a 1995 Spanish documentary film directed by Carlos Saura with camerawork by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is entirely musical and dancing vignettes, composed and photographed on a sound stage.-Synopsis:...
(1995), Tango
Tango (1998 film)
Tango is a 1998 Argentine tango film written and directed by Carlos Saura and photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is an Argentine and Spanish production.-Plot:...
(1998), and Fados (2007).
His 1989 film La noche oscura
The Dark Night (film)
The Dark Night is a 1989 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. It was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Juan Diego as San Juan de la Cruz* Fernando Guillén as Vailer* Manuel de Blas as Prior...
was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival
39th Berlin International Film Festival
The 39th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 10 to 21, 1989.-Jury:* Rolf Liebermann * Leslie Caron* Chen Kaige* Vadim Glowna* Randa Haines* Vladimir Ignatovski* Adrian Kutter* Francisco Rabal...
.
Saura considers his film on surrealist master Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
to be his best cinematic work. In an interview to an online film magazine, DearCinema.com
DearCinema.com
DearCinema.com is an Indian web site on world cinema that focuses on film festivals, art-house cinema, independent and short films.It was founded by Bikas Mishra and launched in February 2007...
http://dearcinema.com/camera-is-my-memory-carlos-saura/, he says about Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón (Buñuel and the table of King Solomon -2001): “That’s the greatest film I’ve ever made. I like the film but nobody else seems to like it. I’m sure Buñuel would have loved this film. But perhaps only he would have loved it. Everything you see in the film is actually based on conversations I had with him.”
In 1990, he received the Goya Award for the best director and best script for ¡Ay, Carmela!. He was chosen as director for the official film of the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, Marathon (1993).
In 2008, Carlos Saura was honoured with a Global Life Time Achievement Award at the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival, organized by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI)http://dearcinema.com/spanish-director-carlos-saura-to-get-lifetime-achievement-award-at-mumbai-fest/
Personal life
Carlos Saura was married twice. He first married Adela Medrano in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1957. They had two sons, Carlos (b. 1958) and Antonio (b. 1960).
On 27 December 1982 he married Mercedes Pérez. They had three sons, Manuel (b. 1980), Adrián (b. 1984) and Diego (b. 1987).
Between marriages, Saura had at least one known son, Shane (b. 1974), by the actress Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin is an English-American actress and the daughter of Charlie Chaplin.Chaplin first came to prominence for her Golden Globe-nominated role of Tonya in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . She received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman's Nashville...
. His relationship history led some to believe he may have fathered more children. After his second marriage, he was also the father of a daughter named Ana (b. December 1994) by Eulalia Ramón.
Filmography
- 1955 : Flamenco short film
- 1956 : El Pequeño río Manzanares short film
- 1957 : La Tarde del domingo short film
- 1958 : Cuenca
- 1959 : Los golfos
- 1964 : Llanto por un bandido
- 1966 : La cazaLa cazaLa Caza is a 1966 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film is a psychological thriller about three veterans of the Spanish Civil War who meet to go rabbit hunting. It was Saura's first international success, winning the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 16th Berlin International Film...
- 1967 : Peppermint FrappéPeppermint FrappéPeppermint Frappé is a 1967 Spanish psychological thriller directed by Carlos Saura, starring Geraldine Chaplin and José Luis López Vázquez. The story centers on a man who becomes obsessed with the wife of an old friend believing her to be a mysterious drummer that he once fell in love with at a...
- 1968 : Stress-es tres-tresStress Is ThreeStress Is Three is a 1968 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. The film stars Geraldine Chaplin and Fernando Cebrián as a troubled married couple. Their marital problems are partially a consequence of Spain's rapidly modernizing consumer society...
- 1969 : La madrigueraHoneycomb (film)Honeycomb is a 1969 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. The film stars Geraldine Chaplin and Per Oscarsson as a complicated married couple...
- 1970 : El jardín de las deliciasEl jardín de las deliciasEl jardín de las delicias , also known as The Garden of Delights in English language cinema, is a 1970 Spanish drama film co-written and directed by Carlos Saura....
- 1972 : Ana y los lobos
- 1973 : La prima AngélicaLa prima AngélicaCousin Angelica is a 1974 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. Starring José Luis López Vázquez as a middle-aged man whose memories of his childhood during the Spanish Civil War make him reenact his past as the old man he is today...
- 1975 : Cría cuervosCria CuervosCría cuervos is a 1976 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film is an allegorical drama about an eight year old girl dealing with loss. Highly acclaimed, it received the Special Jury Prize Award at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
- 1977 : Elisa, vida míaElisa, vida míaElisa, vida mía is a 1977 Spanish drama film written and directed by Carlos Saura. The film stars Saura's long-term companion and frequent collaborator, Geraldine Chaplin...
- 1978 : Los ojos vendados
- 1979 : Mamá cumple cien años
- 1980 : Deprisa, DeprisaDeprisa, DeprisaDeprisa, Deprisa is a 1981 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. In the English-speaking world, it has been released under the titles Faster, Faster and Fast, Fast. It tells the story of a gang of juvenile delinquents.-Plot:...
- 1981 : Bodas de Sangre
- 1982 : Sweet HoursSweet Hours (Dulces horas)Sweet Hours is a Spanish film, written and directed by Carlos Saura and released in 1982. The title comes from words in the soundtrack song Recordar sung by the soprano Imperia Argentina.-Plot:...
- 1982 : AntonietaAntonietaAntonieta is a 1982 film by Spanish director Carlos Saura, starring Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla. The film, a Mexican-Spanish French co production, was based on a novel by Andrés Henestrosa...
- 1983 : CarmenCarmen (1983 film)Carmen is a 1983 film adaptation of the novel Carmen by Prosper Mérimée, using music from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. It was directed and choreographed in the flamenco style by Carlos Saura...
- 1984 : Los Zancos
- 1986 : El amor brujoEl Amor brujo (1986 film)El amor brujo or Carlos Saura Dance Trilogy, Part 3: El Amor Brujo is a 1986 Spanish musical film written and directed by Carlos Saura. It was directed and choreographed in the flamenco style. It is the third part of the Saura's flamenco trilogy he made in the 80's, after Bodas de sangre in 1981...
- 1988 : El DoradoEl Dorado (1988 film)El Dorado is a 1988 Spanish film written and directed by Carlos Saura. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Synopsis:The film is about an expedition down the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in 1560 by Spanish soldiers searching for the fabled city of gold, El Dorado...
- 1989 : La Noche oscuraThe Dark Night (film)The Dark Night is a 1989 Spanish drama film directed by Carlos Saura. It was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Juan Diego as San Juan de la Cruz* Fernando Guillén as Vailer* Manuel de Blas as Prior...
- 1990 : Ay Carmela
- 1992 : El SurLos Cuentos de Borges: El Sur (film)El Sur is a TV movie written and directed by Carlos Saura and is a chapter in the Spanish TV series Los Cuentos de Borges . Saura's 55-minute film is based on the short story El Sur by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.-Plot:...
- 1992 : Marathon
- 1992 : Sevillanas
- 1993 : ¡Dispara!¡Dispara!Dispara! is a 1993 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura, starring Francesca Neri and Antonio Banderas. The story is a revenge tragedy.-Plot:...
- 1995 : FlamencoFlamenco (1995 film)Flamenco is a 1995 Spanish documentary film directed by Carlos Saura with camerawork by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is entirely musical and dancing vignettes, composed and photographed on a sound stage.-Synopsis:...
- 1997 : Taxi
- 1997 : Pajarico
- 1998 : TangoTango (1998 film)Tango is a 1998 Argentine tango film written and directed by Carlos Saura and photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is an Argentine and Spanish production.-Plot:...
- 1999 : Goya en BurdeosGoya en BurdeosGoya en Burdeos is a 1999 Spanish historical drama film written and directed by Carlos Saura about the life of Francisco de Goya.-Awards:* 5 Goya Awards, includding Best Actor...
- 2001 : Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón
- 2002 : SaloméSalomé (2002 film)Salomé is a 2002 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film is told from the perspective of a flamenco dance company that will mount a show devoted to the mythical and biblical figure of Salomé, as a story of love and vengeance...
- 2004 : El séptimo día
- 2005 : Iberia
- 2007 : FadosFadosFados is a 2007 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. The film, a fusion of cinema, song, dance and instrumental numbers, explores Portugal's most emblematic musical genre, fado, and its spirit of saudade ....
- 2008 : Sinfonía de Aragón short film
- 2009 : Io, Don Giovanni
- 2010 : Flamenco, Flamenco
Awards
- 1966: Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival16th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 16th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 24 to July 5, 1966.-Jury:* Pierre Braunberger * Franz Seitz* Emilio Villalba Welsh* Khwaja Ahmad Abbas* Pier Paolo Pasolini* Lars Forssell* Hollis Alpert...
for his film La Caza. - 1968: Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival18th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1968.-Jury:* Luis García Berlanga * Peter Schamoni* Alex Viany* Georges de Beauregard* Alexander Walker* Domenico Meccoli* Carl-Eric Nordberg...
for his film Peppermint Frappé. - 1974: Jury Prize at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival1974 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :*René Clair *Jean-Loup Dabadie *Kenne Fant *Félix Labisse *Irwin Shaw *Michel Soutter *Monica Vitti *Alexander Walker *Rostislav Yurenev -Feature film competition:...
for his film La prima Angélica. - 1976: Grand Prix of the Jury at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival1976 Cannes Film FestivalThe 29th Cannes Film Festival was held on May 13-28, 1976. A new section, 'L'Air du temps', which is non-competitive and focuses on contemporary subjects, is introduced at this festival and discontinued after the next.- Jury :...
for his film Cría cuervos... - 1981: Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival31st Berlin International Film FestivalThe 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981.-Jury:* Jutta Brückner * Denis Héroux* Astrid Henning-Jensen* Irina Petrovna Kuptschenko* Peter Bichsel* Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi...
for his film Deprisa, deprisa. - 1983: Technical Grand Prize and the award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival1983 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :*William Styron *Henri Alekan *Yvonne Baby *Sergei Bondarchuk *Youssef Chahine *Souleymane Cissé *Gilbert de Goldschmidt *Mariangela Melato *Karel Reisz...
for his film Carmen. - 1983: BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his film Carmen.
- 2004: Lifetime achievement award at the European Film Awards.