Spanish filmmaker Luis García Berlanga (1921–2010) was a scathing social critic whose work evaded censorship by the Franco regime using a highly expressive way to present his denouncements.
He became a master of satirical comedy with his proposal of dissidence that challenged the official Spanish cinema.
“Welcome Mr. Marshall” (1952) is an example of his beginning and qualities of a young artists at the time, sharing screenplay credits with fellow graduates of the Institute for Research and Cinematic Experiences (IIEC), influential filmmaker in his own right, Juan Antonio Bardem.
His film “Plácido,” nominated for an Oscar in 1961 for “best foreign film,” is a masterpiece that has been called “tender, grotesque and realistic.” Here Berlanga began a long collaboration with screenwriter Rafael Azcona that would last until the end of his career.
In the twilight of his film career his work would shock audiences like in the film “Tamaño natural” (1973), because of its charged eroticism and sexual content.
These are three of the seven films chosen to be shown in the series “The Comedic Films of Luis Garcia Berlanga,” to be held from March 29 to April 17 at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. A good example of what Berlanga exposed through an individual style in an era of restraint.
¡Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall! (1953) · Friday, March 29, 2013 7:00PM
Calabuch (1956) · Sunday, March 31, 2013 3:00PM
Plácido (1961) · Thursday, April 4, 2013 7:00PM
El verdugo (1964) · Saturday, April 6, 2013 6:30PM
¡Vivan los novios! (1970) · Friday, April 12, 2013 7:00PM
Tamaño natural (1973) · Friday, April 12, 2013 7:00PM
La escopeta nacional (1978) · Wednesday, April 17, 2013 7:00PM
All Screenings will be in 35mm, Spanish with English subtitles, at the PFA Theater at 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA. Info: 510-642-1124
More information: www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/berlanga
—Translation Chris Alias