The Auteur Theory

Film Director

Pedro Amodovar

Biography

Born September 25th 1949 the village

of Calazada in La Mancha Spain

Moved to Province of Extremadura

When he was 8

In 1968 he moved to Madrid age 16

Franco dictatorship

Almodovar’s ProfileLife in Madrid!

• Street artist, jewellery maker• Telephone company as a clerk• Musician, writer, comic strip artist, magazine

columnist,• avant garde theatre actor,• Los Golidardos – Carmen Maura • Antonio Banderes• screenplay writer, filmaker

Filmography

Bought a super 8mm camera

From 1972 – 78 began experimenting with short films

made a feature length film ‘Salome’ in 1978

1st commercial feature in 1980 –Pepi, luci bom which was funded by friends

Filmography

• Early 80’s began making • Low budget features with government funding• 1981 feature ‘Labrinth of Passion’ –he

composed and performed the score• His 3rd feature in 1983 got him noticed

internationally ‘Dark Habits’• 1984 first international success with ‘Law of

Desire’• In 1985 he set up his own Production Company

with his brother

Film genres

• Melodrama’s, comedy, romantic comedy, black comedy/satire, thriller, drama, elements of film noir

• Fascist dictator Franco died in 1975• Reconized as the leader of New Spanish

Cinema• A lot of his films were a reaction against

Franco’s repressive culture

Film Form

• Almost always autobiographical in content

• Colourful sense of drama, characters and settings

• Beautiful and startling imagery• Uses light amazingly• Artistic perspective; uses dance, music

and art to flesh out the symbols in his films

Film form

• Intermingles different film genres together

• Uses circular narratives• Includes aspects of television and

theatre within his movies• Pop culture art forms –Andy Warhol type• Loves the colour Red on his female

characters especially red shoes

Almodovar and production

• Writes his own screenplays• Produces his own films• Uses the same production team for

all his films• Unique methods for a film director• Ever growing fanbase

Ideological perspective

• Deconstructs the depiction of middle class values in Spanish cinema

• Deals with urban classes living on the fringe of society

• Explores gender and sexuality openly

• Engages the humanness in humanity

• Explores the female psyche

critique

• Labelled as;

• A woman’s director• A gay director

• Labelled as a “conscious fantasist”• “He reactivates the cliches of film

noir and brings them into the land of punk. He has an obsessive angle on everything!”.

• …………..Pauline Kael 1988

critique

• For portrayal of a comic rape scene in his film Kika

• Depecting unprotected gay sex in his film Law of Desire

• Came under fire over the death of 4 bulls during the making of Talk to Her.

Review quotes

• “Drama’s you won’t believe, and plots you can never predict”

• “If the art of a great filmaker is to make a ‘monster’ sympathetic, then Almodovar has it in spades ! ”

• ….ABC.net/film reviews USA today

NOT THE END

BUTA NEW BEGINNING

• All about my mother - 25 separate awards

4 BAFTA’sTalk to me1 oscar 5 awards

BAFTA for best screenplay