Luis García Berlanga

Spanish film director and screenwriter

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is  García-Berlanga and the second or maternal family name is  Martí.

Excelentísimo Señor Don

Luis García Berlanga

MML

Statue of García Berlanga in Sos del Rey Católico

Born|

Luis García Berlanga Martí

(1921-06-12)12 June 1921

Valencia, Spain

Died| 13 November 2010(2010-11-13) (aged 89)

Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

Occupations|

* Film director
* Screenwriter

Years active| 1951–2002
Spouse| María Jesús Manrique de Aragón (1954-2010, his death)
Children| 4, including José Luis and Carlos

Luis García-Berlanga Martí MML (12 June 1921 – 13 November 2010) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema,[1] his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture under the Francoist dictatorship.[2]

## Life and career[edit]

Luis García Berlanga was born into an affluent family in the eastern city of Valencia on June 12, 1921. His father was a Republican politician in the national parliament who was arrested and sentenced to death after the Spanish civil war. He enrolled in the Blue Division in the Eastern Front of World War II to avoid having his father executed as a former Republican politician. In his youth, Berlanga studied law and philosophy, but in 1947 he decided to enter the Institute of Cinematographic Investigations and Experiences (Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas) in Madrid.[3][4]

His debut as a film director in 1951 was with the film That Happy Couple in which he worked with Juan Antonio Bardem. With Bardem, he is considered to be one of Spanish film renovators after the Spanish Civil War. Among his films are several concerning Spanish film history, such as Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953) or The Executioner (1963). Bardem and he cofounded a film magazine, Objetivo, in 1953.[5] The magazine existed until 1956.[6] He worked on seven occasions with screenwriter Rafael Azcona.

In 1968, he was head of the jury at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]

Characteristic of his films are their sense of irony and the satires of different social and political situations. During the Francoist State, his ability to outwit the censors allowed him to make daring projects, including The Rocket from Calabuch (1956) and Miracles of Thursday (1957). Later he made La escopeta nacional (1978), National Heritage (1981) and Nacional III (1982), a film trilogy about the Leguineches, an impoverished aristocratic family.[8] His 1985 film The Heifer, a comedy about the Civil War, was the highest-grossing Spanish film in Spain at the time.[9]

Commemorative plaque to Luis García-Berlanga, Madrid.

His film Plácido was nominated in 1961 for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[10] In 1986 he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Arts[11] and in 1993 the Goya for Best Director for Everyone Off to Jail.[12] Spanish National Cinematography Prize (Premio Nacional de Cinematografía) in 1980, the Italian Commendatore Order, Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts (Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes) in 1982,[13] an honorary degree granted by the University of Valencia in 1997,[14] and the Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (Medalla al Mérito en el Trabajo) in 2002.[15]

Berlanga won international prizes at several important film festivals: Cannes Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin Film Festival. At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival he won a prize as one of the world's ten most prominent film directors. He has also been awarded a large number of national acknowledgements.[16]

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

1953  | Welcome Mr. Marshall! | Yes  | Yes  |
That Happy Couple | Yes  | Yes  | Co-written and co-directed with Juan Antonio Bardem
1954  | Boyfriend in Sight | Yes  | Yes  |
1956  | The Rocket from Calabuch | Yes  | Yes  |
1957  | Miracles of Thursday | Yes  | Yes  |
1958  | Familia Provisional | No  | Yes  |
1961  | Plácido | Yes  | Yes  |
1962  | Las cuatro verdades | Yes  | Yes  |
1963  | The Executioner | Yes  | Yes  |
1964  | El extraño viaje | No  | Idea  |
1967  | Las Pirañas | Yes  | Yes  | Argentine film
1969  | Long Live the Bride and Groom | Yes  | Yes  |
1974  | Tamaño natural [es] | Yes  | Yes  | French film
1977  | La escopeta nacional | Yes  | Yes  |
Una Noche Embarazosa | No  | Yes  |
1981  | Patrimonio nacional | Yes  | Yes  |
1982  | Nacional III | Yes  | Yes  |
1985  | La vaquilla | Yes  | Yes  |
1987  | Moros y Cristianos | Yes  | Yes  |
1993  | Everyone Off to Jail | Yes  | Yes  |
1999  | París-Tombuctú | Yes  | Yes  | Final feature-length film

#### Associate producer[edit]

* Tenemos 18 Años (1959)

### Short Film[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

1948  | Paseos por una Guerra Antigua | Yes  | Yes  | Documentary short film co-written and co-directed with Juan Antonio Bardem, Augustín Navarro & Florentino Soria
Tres Cantos | Yes  | Yes  |
1949  | El Circo | Yes  | Yes  |
1959  | Se Vende un Tranvía | No  | Yes  | Also supervisor
1963  | La Muerte y el Leñador | Yes  | Yes  | Segment of the anthology film "Las Cuatro Verdades"
2002  | El Sueño de la Maestra | Yes  | Yes  | Final short film

### Television[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

1995  | Villarriba y Villabajo | No  | Creator  | Televisión Española series; 25 episodes
Co-creator with José Luis García Berlanga & Antonio Oliver
1997  | Blasco Ibáñez | Yes  | Yes  | Televisión Española miniseries; 2 episodes

#### Acting roles[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1959  | Se vende un tranvia | Comprador de la baliza aerostática  | Short Film
Uncredited
1967  | Las Pirañas | Espectador de cine  | Uncredited
1968  | Días de viejo color | Mr. Marshall  |
No somos de piedra | Guardía Urbano  |
Tuset Street | Aparicio  |
1969  | Sharon vestida de rojo | Victor  |
1973  | Apunte sobre Ana |  | Short film
1977  | Tigres de Papel | Matón ultraderechista  | Uncredited
1980  | Cuentos Eróticos | Hombre del metro  |
Nostalgia de Comedia Muda |  | Short film
1981  | Tragala Perro |  |
Retratos en el Retrete |  | Short film
1982  | Un pasota con corbata |  |
1984  | Dinero Negro | Peris  |
1994  | La Vida Siempre es Corta |  | Short film
1998  | Ni contigo ni sin tí | Dios  | TV Series; Episode "Cuestión de Fe"
2001  | Corazón de bombón | Berlanga  |
El Apagon |  | Short film
Hola Artemio |  |
Extranjeros de sí mismos | Himself  | Documentary film

## See also[edit]

* Café Gijón (Madrid)

## References[edit]

1. ^ Weber, Bruce (November 16, 2010). "Luis Garcia Berlanga, Filmmaker, Is Dead at 89". New York Times. pp. A28.
2. ^ Holder, Stephen (October 21, 1994). "Critic's Choice/Film; Subversive Intentions Behind the Humor". New York Times.
3. ^ "Luis Garcia Berlanga". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 November 2010.
4. ^ Berlanga's Blue Division notebooks El pais 14 November 2011
5. ^ S. Marsh (15 December 2005). Popular Spanish Film Under Franco: Comedy and the Weakening of the State. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 207\. ISBN 978-0-230-51187-3. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
6. ^ Virginia Higginbotham (27 January 2014). Spanish Film Under Franco. University of Texas Press. p. 25\. ISBN 978-0-292-76147-6. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
7. ^ "Berlinale 1968: Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
8. ^ Redacción Cine con Ñ (2021-12-02). "Sátiras en transición: la trilogía de los Leguineche". Cine con Ñ.
9. ^ "Spain's All-Time Top Grossing Pics". Variety. May 7, 1986. p. 379.
10. ^ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
11. ^ "Luis García Berlanga - Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes 1986" (in Spanish). Fundación Princesa de Asturias. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
12. ^ "Todos a la cárcel". Premios Goya. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
13. ^ "Real Decreto 397/1982, del 28 de febrero, por el que se concede la Medalla al Mérito en las Bellas Artes, en su categoría de oro, a don Luis García Berlanga" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (34): 37503. 28 February 1982. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
14. ^ Neus Caballer (1997-10-03). "Luis G. Berlanga, 'honoris causa' por la Politécnica de Valencia". El País.
15. ^ "Real Decreto 1355/2002, de 13 de diciembre, por el que se concede la Medalla de Oro al Mérito en el Trabajo a don Luis García Berlanga" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (34): 37503. 13 December 2002. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
16. ^ Instituto Cervantes. "Caja de las Letras: Luis García Berlanga".

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luis García Berlanga.

* Luis García Berlanga at IMDb
* Luis García Berlanga – Luis Garcia Berlanga's biography at Senses of Cinema
* Luis García Berlanga – In Spanish
* Berlanga Film Museum \- In English

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Luis García Berlanga

* That Happy Couple
* Welcome Mr. Marshall!
* Boyfriend in Sight
* The Rocket from Calabuch
* Miracles of Thursday
* Plácido
* Three Fables of Love
* The Executioner
* The Boutique
* Long Live the Bride and Groom
* Tamaño natural
* La escopeta nacional
* National Heritage
* Nacional III
* The Heifer
* Moros y Cristianos
* Everyone Off to Jail
* París-Tombuctú
* El sueño de la maestra

* v
* t
* e

Goya Award for Best Director

1980s|

* Fernando Fernán Gómez (1986)
* José Luis Garci (1987)
* Gonzalo Suárez (1988)
* Fernando Trueba (1989)

1990s|

* Carlos Saura (1990)
* Vicente Aranda (1991)
* Fernando Trueba (1992)
* Luis García Berlanga (1993)
* Imanol Uribe (1994)
* Álex de la Iglesia (1995)
* Pilar Miró (1996)
* Ricardo Franco (1997)
* Fernando León de Aranoa (1998)
* Pedro Almodóvar (1999)

2000s|

* José Luis Borau (2000)
* Alejandro Amenábar (2001)
* Fernando León de Aranoa (2002)
* Icíar Bollaín (2003)
* Alejandro Amenábar (2004)
* Isabel Coixet (2005)
* Pedro Almodóvar (2006)
* Jaime Rosales (2007)
* Javier Fesser (2008)
* Daniel Monzón (2009)

2010s|

* Agustí Villaronga (2010)
* Enrique Urbizu (2011)
* J. A. Bayona (2012)
* David Trueba (2013)
* Alberto Rodríguez (2014)
* Cesc Gay (2015)
* J. A. Bayona (2016)
* Isabel Coixet (2017)
* Rodrigo Sorogoyen (2018)
* Pedro Almodóvar (2019)

2020s|

* Salvador Calvo (2020)
* Fernando León de Aranoa (2021)
* Rodrigo Sorogoyen (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Laureates of the Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts

1980s|

* 1981: Jesús López Cobos
* 1982: Pablo Serrano
* 1983: Eusebio Sempere
* 1984: Orfeón Donostiarra
* 1985: Antonio López García
* 1986: Luis García Berlanga
* 1987: Eduardo Chillida
* 1988: Jorge Oteiza
* 1989: Oscar Niemeyer

1990s|

* 1990: Antoni Tàpies
* 1991: Victoria de los Ángeles, Teresa Berganza, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Pilar Lorengar, Alfredo Kraus and Plácido Domingo
* 1992: Roberto Matta
* 1993: Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza
* 1994: Alicia de Larrocha
* 1995: Fernando Fernán Gómez
* 1996: Joaquín Rodrigo
* 1997: Vittorio Gassman
* 1998: Sebastião Salgado
* 1999: Santiago Calatrava

2000s|

* 2000: Barbara Hendricks
* 2001: Krzysztof Penderecki
* 2002: Woody Allen
* 2003: Miquel Barceló
* 2004: Paco de Lucía
* 2005: Maya Plisetskaya and Tamara Rojo
* 2006: Pedro Almodóvar
* 2007: Bob Dylan
* 2008: Sistema de Orquesta Juvenil e Infantil de Venezuela
* 2009: Norman Foster

2010s|

* 2010: Richard Serra
* 2011: Riccardo Muti
* 2012: Rafael Moneo
* 2013: Michael Haneke
* 2014: Frank Gehry

Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

2010s|

* 2015: Francis Ford Coppola
* 2016: Núria Espert
* 2017: William Kentridge
* 2018: Martin Scorsese
* 2019: Peter Brook

2020s|

* 2020: Ennio Morricone and John Williams
* 2021: Marina Abramović
* 2022: Carmen Linares and María Pagés
* 2023: Meryl Streep

* v
* t
* e

Berlin International Film Festival jury presidents

1956–1975|

* Marcel Carné (1956)
* Jay Carmody (1957)
* Frank Capra (1958)
* Robert Aldrich (1959)
* Harold Lloyd (1960)
* James Quinn (1961)
* King Vidor (1962)
* Wendy Toye (1963)
* Anthony Mann (1964)
* John Gillett (1965)
* Pierre Braunberger (1966)
* Thorold Dickinson (1967)
* Luis García Berlanga (1968)
* Johannes Schaaf (1969)
* George Stevens (1970)
* Bjørn Rasmussen (1971)
* Eleanor Perry (1972)
* David Robinson (1973)
* Rodolfo Kuhn (1974)
* Sylvia Syms (1975)

1976–2000|

* Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1976)
* Senta Berger (1977)
* Patricia Highsmith (1978)
* Jörn Donner (1979)
* Ingrid Thulin (1980)
* Jutta Brückner (1981)
* Joan Fontaine (1982)
* Jeanne Moreau (1983)
* Liv Ullmann (1984)
* Jean Marais (1985)
* Gina Lollobrigida (1986)
* Klaus Maria Brandauer (1987)
* Guglielmo Biraghi (1988)
* Rolf Liebermann (1989)
* Michael Ballhaus (1990)
* Volker Schlöndorff (1991)
* Annie Girardot (1992)
* Frank Beyer (1993)
* Jeremy Thomas (1994)
* Lia van Leer (1995)
* Nikita Mikhalkov (1996)
* Jack Lang (1997)
* Ben Kingsley (1998)
* Ángela Molina (1999)
* Gong Li (2000)

2001–present|

* Bill Mechanic (2001)
* Mira Nair (2002)
* Atom Egoyan (2003)
* Frances McDormand (2004)
* Roland Emmerich (2005)
* Charlotte Rampling (2006)
* Paul Schrader (2007)
* Costa-Gavras (2008)
* Tilda Swinton (2009)
* Werner Herzog (2010)
* Isabella Rossellini (2011)
* Mike Leigh (2012)
* Wong Kar-wai (2013)
* James Schamus (2014)
* Darren Aronofsky (2015)
* Meryl Streep (2016)
* Paul Verhoeven (2017)
* Tom Tykwer (2018)
* Juliette Binoche (2019)
* Jeremy Irons (2020)
* M. Night Shyamalan (2022)
* Kristen Stewart (2023)
* Lupita Nyong'o (2024)

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