Carlos Saura: Carmen (1983) - KarazwLaimoon

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Carlos Saura: Carmen (1983)

Cinema Talks > 2015 Winter and Spring (Season 8)

Cine Club: Wednesday 28 January 2015 (7 pm)

Title:   Carmen 
Director:  Carlos Saura (Spain)

 Released:  1983
Language:  Spanish (Eng S/T)
Duration:  1 hour 32 min
Key Actors:  Antonio Gades, Laura del Sol, Paco de Lucía and Christina Hoyos

Carmen
is an opera by Bizet based on the novel by Prospere Merrimée. Carlos Saura has gone one stage further and has film a real life story in a Flamenco Dance School where they are preparing a new version of Carmen. The parallels between the story of Carmen and the real life instructor and star dancer take on dramatic dimensions. The dance in the film is of very high class avoiding clichés found in restaurant and variety show Flamenco styles.
 
Interesting Links about the Film:
Trailer on YouTube Click Here
Journal Media Culture Click Here
Criterion Click Here
 
Director: Carlos Saura (1912 –1982) (Adapted from Wikipedia: Click Here). 
 
Born into a family of artists (his mother was a pianist and his brother, Antonio Saura, 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.
 
In 1957-1958, Saura created his first film (Cuenca). In 1962 his film Los Golfos was recognized for its strong sociological impact in the betterment of the Spanish youth by tackling juvenile delinquency in Madrid's poorest districts. Four years later (1966), he was honored at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival, 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.[2] He won the Golden Bear in 1981 at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival for his film Deprisa, Deprisa.

The films 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 film Mama cumple 100 años (Mom is celebrating her 100 years) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy 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 featuring the work of Spanish flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos. He later made the movies
Flamenco (1995), Tango (1998), and Fados (2007).
 
 
 

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