THE 2O12
DAVID LEAN LECTURE
DELIVERED BY
PEDRO ALMODîVAR 18 NOVEMBER 2O12
ALMODîVAR HAS ALWAYS PLACED WOMEN'S ISSUES CENTRE STAGE. IN THE PROCESS, HE HAS OFFERED WORLD CINEMA A NUMBER OF ITS MOST BEGUILING AND ENCHANTING FEMALE CHARACTERS.
BROKEN EMBR ACES (2OO9)
THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE
OVERVIEW for more than 32 years Pedro Almodóvar has been making films that have shaped our understanding of what constitutes Spanish cinema. His daring narratives, his willingness to play with genre, his merging of the tragic and the comic, his attention to mise en scène and décor have made him one of the world’s great auteurs. Nobody makes films quite like Almodóvar. His films manage to move from the political to the personal and comment on the society in which he lives without ever appearing dogmatic. His is a craftsmanship that fuses a bold exploration of sexuality and desire, a deployment of colour-coding and meticulous attention to style, an innovative use of music and intricate plots, and extraordinary performances across an expansive range of acting registers. Almodóvar understands acting and actors. He never went to film school, but rather learned his craft by doing. His early work dispensed with continuity and conventional modes of framing, but the idea of performance was always a central consideration in his narratives. He emerged in many ways from the theatre, performing in the 1970s with the experimental company Los Goliardos, where he met actor Carmen Maura. Few directors are able to elicit the performances that Almodóvar secures from actors as diverse as Penélope Cruz and Blanca Portillo. And while there have been male stars, as with Antonio Banderas and more recently Gael García Bernal and Javier Cámara, it is the women who usually steal the show. Almodóvar has always placed women’s issues centre stage. Taking inspiration from Hollywood’s woman’s picture genre of the 1940s and 50s, he has dramatised family squabbles and conflicts, refashioned feminist discourses, dramatised grief and solace,
DELIVERED BY PEDRO AL MODîVAR
by Maria Delgado
explored the politics of motherhood and sought, in the words of one of his earliest heroines, Luci, to give women the space “to find their true selves”. In the process, he has offered world cinema a number of its most beguiling and enchanting female characters. From Chus Lampreave’s quirky grandmother in What Have I Done To Deserve This? (1984) to Marisa Paredes’s glamorous torch singer Becky del Páramo in High Heels (1991), Antonia San Juan’s delightfully resourceful Agrado in All About My Mother (1999) and Cruz’s luminous Lena in Broken Embraces (2009), Almodóvar has presented women as creative beings who have the capacity to ingeniously transform their own lives. And it is this focus on transformation and alteration, renovation and change that has defined so much of his work. Theatricality and role-play are the very DNA of his cinema. Is it any coincidence that so many of his characters are performers or directors? Acting is shown to be part of their way of life, and the demands of putting on a play or making a film tests their resolve, stamina and sanity. The stage or film set is frequently presented as an inventive space, and improvisation shown as a way of getting through the crises and traumas that life throws at his protagonists. Almodóvar’s style may have changed – from the in-your-face eccentricity of Pepe, Luci, Bom And Other Girls Like Mom (1980), his first feature, to the melding of horror, melodrama, noir-ish thriller and science fiction that marked The Skin I Live In (2011) – but the focus on play and artifice has remained a constant. Almodóvar’s cinema celebrates the sense of theatricality in all of us. Maria Delgado is Professor of Theatre & Screen Arts at Queen Mary, University of London
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TALK TO HER (2OO2)
DAVID LEAN IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF A FILMMAKER WHO MADE SUPER-PRODUCTIONS THAT WERE AUTEUR SUPER-PRODUCTIONS. THEY'RE EXTREMELY PERSONAL.
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THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE
IN HIS OWN WORDS ON DAVID LEAN I’m a big fan of David Lean. I think David Lean is the only example of a filmmaker who made super-productions that were auteur super-productions. They’re extremely personal. And I don’t think anyone’s making films like that, and I really miss a personality like David Lean’s in Hollywood.1 ON WRITING My first ambition was to be a writer. I have always been very interested in writing. But it seems to me that I have more capacity for telling a story with images. It seems I have more talent for filmmaking than for writing a novel, which is my dream. I have always found it easy to let my imagination go. You do not just need imagination for filmmaking, you also need a lot of passion. When I discovered filmmaking as a way of telling stories, I felt that I had found something that was in my nature. I am glad that I had this ambition to be a novelist because it has helped me in filmmaking.1 I write better for women than for men, whom I find dramatically boring; what’s more, I find it easier to incorporate my capacity for craziness into female characters.2 ON WORKING WITH HIS BROTHER Agustín has always been my first spectator. From the moment I have an idea, even before I develop it, Agustín knows it. He’s the person who has the best and deepest understanding of everything I do. Although I don’t know if being a witness to all that is a burden or a privilege.2 My brother helps me on everything. He’s the producer of my films, of course, but when I begin work on a new project he’s the best archivist I can turn to, because he’s got such an amazing memory and mind. He’s like a walking encyclopedia.3
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ON MAKING FILMS When I make a film, I never stop uncovering mysteries, making discoveries. When I’m writing, filming, editing, even doing promotional work, I discover new things about the film, about myself and about others. That is what I’m subconsciously looking for when shooting a film: to glimpse the enigmas of life, even if I don’t resolve them, but at least to uncover them. Cinema is a curiosity in the most intense meaning of the word.2 It’s a privilege to be able to work with a group of people to create a world that I have devised and fantasised about. This is the nearest thing to divinity I think there is.3 ON GENRE The kind of films I make aren’t so much genres as a mixture of genres. In the same way as, when it comes to preparing a soundtrack, I choose very different themes, from very different periods, all with a very different spirit, and I put them all together.2 ON ACTORS The relationship with the actors is very delicate and a dangerous thing. I establish a relationship with them that, from a psychological and sensual point of view, is very strong. During the shoot, I’m everything for them. After the shoot, each one goes back to his or her own life. I only stay in contact with some of them. My passion for the actors usually ends when shooting finishes. However, my emotional memory is filled with recollections of the best moments I shared with them, and those are forever carved in stone in my heart.2 1 ‘Pedro Almodóvar Biography’, IMDb.com, accessed 6 November 2012 2 Duncan, Paul, with Peiró, Bárbara, ed. The Pedro Almodóvar Archives. Taschen Books, 2011 3 Delgado, Maria. ‘Flesh And The Devil’. Sight & Sound, Volume 21 Issue 9, September 2011 5
LIVE FLESH (1997)
INSPIRATION FOUR COLLABORATORS DISCUSS WORKING WITH PEDRO ALMODîVAR AGUSTêN ALMODîVAR
ON
PEDRO ALMODîVAR
For me, Pedro is the complete filmmaker. His cinema is full of life; it’s intuitive, visceral, very free and packed with erudition. Pedro imagines, dreams, sometimes even lives the stories that emerge in his scripts, and which he later produces and directs. His films harbour mysteries that – even with the oldest works – remain intact. These are mysteries about certain irrationalities of human behaviour that resist being coded by convention. It is a spectacle to behold. Pedro is involved in every aspect of the production process: production design, all aesthetic concepts and ideas. He even personally selects the small objects, props and details of each set. And he devotes the same attention to costumes, make-up and hair. A thousand times I’ve heard him talk to his heads of department about the importance 6
of each element to the characterisation of the characters. On this point, I must also talk about the actors and actresses and the enormous attention Pedro pays to each one. His direction is extremely precise and delicate, throughout the weeks of rehearsal prior to filming and then during filming. For many actors, being directed by Pedro is like a real acting school. And in my joint role as producer and brother, I have been fortunate to bear witness to this extraordinary and wonderful process. As a little brother, I say this full of love, protectiveness and confidence from Pedro. And as a collaborator, I am a witness and an accomplice in the entire creative process, from the first notes of an idea through to the finished film. It is a priceless personal and professional experience for me. THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE
PENƒLOPE CRUZ
ON
TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN!
I went into the city to see that movie and that was the day that changed a lot of things for me. In terms of making the decision that day to become an actress. It felt like going to the moon. Almost impossible. Coming from where I come from. There was nobody who had anything to do with the arts in my family. Even when I was a little girl, I identified with [Pedro]. This is the person I am interested
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in. Why does he see the world that way? Why does he understand women the way he does? I wanted to know this person who was brave enough to stand up for himself politically. When I was growing up, there was such a fear of change in Spain and he seemed to be the opposite. Source: Louise France, ‘Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz: the mentor and the muse’. The Observer, 23 August 2009
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JAVIER CçMARA
ON
I'M SO EXCITED
Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. This is your flight attendant speaking. We, the actors, think that Pedro Almodóvar has come back to comedy for good with his latest film, I’m So Excited. After a journey full of endless anecdotes, heavy turbulence, well-needed laughs and, inevitably, a fair quota of tears, I can pretty much assure you that we’ve carried this masterclass with us in our suitcases. Every day, Captain Almodóvar
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gave the crew thousands of vital and personal musical, film, literary and theatrical references. References to such greats as Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Luis García Berlanga, Luis Buñuel and George Cukor that were so completely direct it was impossible to escape their influence. He needed the best from us, he squeezed each of us until he found our essence and then he gave us a safe and sound landing. We are all very happy and more streamlined!
THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE
CECILIA ROTH
CECILIA ROTH
ON
ON
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER
To work with Pedro is one of the best things that can happen to an actor. To listen to him dissect a character to the level of the most thorough autopsy makes you want to capture it, record it, film it or do anything else that can be savoured afterwards by those other actors who haven’t had the same fortune to be there; so they can taste the singularity of his vision, his humour (which can be hilarious but also grave) and, above all, the treasure you keep, which is the transformation of this character that he’s gifted you with into a live, carnal, organic being with a recognisably human but also unique face, all because of his unlimited and inimitable imagination. In All About My Mother, the emotional web that the film unravels is complex and painful – a mother, Manuela, loses her 18-year-old son DELIVERED BY PEDRO AL MODîVAR
in an accident. In her journey to find the father of her dead child, she happens across various extraordinary characters, each one of whom could be the genesis of their own film (another example of Almodóvar’s narrative genius). And despite her unremitting grief for her lost son, her unforgettable encounters spring forth a natural and spontaneous curiosity that genuinely opens her heart and moves her to both tears and laughter. It’s a love of life above all else. Each time I watch All About My Mother I am stunned by it more and more – it has a luminosity that in no way resembles hollow optimism or denial of a painful reality. I share its sense of gratitude for the gift of life, I really do. Life has shown me this, and so has Manuela. Especially because, shortly after All About My Mother, my son, Martin, came into my life. 9
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2O11)
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THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE
FILMOGRAPHY 2013 2011 2009 2006 2004 2002 1999 1997 1995 1993 1991 1990
I’m So Excited 1 The Skin I Live In 2 Broken Embraces 1 Volver 1 Bad Education 3 Talk To Her 1 All About My Mother 1 Live Flesh 2 The Flower Of My Secret 1 Kika 1 High Heels 1 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! 1
1988 Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown 3 1987 Law Of Desire 1 1986 Matador 2 1984 What Have I Done To Deserve This? 1 1983 Dark Habits 1 1982 Labyrinth Of Passion 3 1980 Pepe, Luci, Bom And Other Girls Like Mom 1 1 also wrote 2 also co-wrote 3 also wrote and produced
AWARDS BAFTA WINS 2012 Film Not in the English Language (The Skin I Live In) 2003 Original Screenplay (Talk To Her) 2003 Film Not in the English Language (Talk To Her) 2000 Film Not in the English Language (All About My Mother) 2000 Director (All About My Mother) BAFTA NOMINATIONS 2010 Film Not in the English Language (Broken Embraces) 2007 Film Not in the English Language (Volver) 2005 Film Not in the English Language (Bad Education) 2000 Original Screenplay (All About My Mother) 1999 Film Not in the English Language (Live Flesh) 1990 Film Not in the English Language (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown)
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OTHER (SELECT) 2007 Goya Award, Best Director (Volver) 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Best Screenplay (Volver) 2006 Golden Globe, Best European Film (Volver) 2003 Academy Award, Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Talk To Her) 2000 Goya Award, Best Director (All About My Mother) 1999 Cannes Film Festival, Best Director (All About My Mother) 1999 Cannes Film Festival, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (All About My Mother) 1989 Goya Award, Best Original Screenplay (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown) 1988 Toronto International Film Festival, People’s Choice Award (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown) 1988 Venice Film Festival, Best Screenplay (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown)
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THE DAVID LEAN LECTURE
THANKS
The Academy’s annual David Lean Lecture is generously funded by The David Lean Foundation. The lecture series serves to continue the legacy of the great director David Lean, one of the founders of the British Film Academy (as it was then known) in 1947 and a continuing inspiration to many through his exceptional body of work.
Pedro Almodóvar
Previous David Lean Lectures have been given by: 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
Errol Morris Peter Weir Atom Egoyan Lean Centenary Celebration David Lynch Oliver Stone Woody Allen John Boorman Ken Loach Robert Altman Sydney Pollack
Agustín Almodóvar Bárbara Peiró Aso Anna Bogutskaya Margeaux Brita Lee Bye Javier Cámara Chris Chalmers Nia Childs Kate Eaton Quentin Falk Mariayah Kaderbhai Holly Marsh Cameron McCracken Pathé UK Cecilia Pereyra Anthony Reeves Cecilia Roth Yeen Tran The Academy is very grateful for the passion, heart and care that Pedro Almodóvar and the team at El Deseo have put into tonight’s event.
Tonight’s lecture will be available to view at www.bafta.org/guru EVENT PRODUCTION
The Academy chooses Heaven 42, supporting excellence in print. Publication printed on Heaven 42 170g/m2. Supplied by Howard Smith Paper Group. www.hspg.com
Event Host Maria Delgado Event Producer Tricia Tuttle Event Coordinator Julia Carruthers Head of Learning & Events Tim Hunter Production Manager Ryan Doherty Webcast Director Pau Ros Brochure Editor Toby Weidmann Brochure Design Adam Tuck Images: © El Deseo DA S.L.U. Photos by Paola Ardizzoni and Emilio Pereda (cover, page 2 and p.8), Miguel Bracho (p.4); Daniel Martínez (p.6); Teresa Isasi (p.9); José Haro (p.10)
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THE 2O12 DAVID LEAN LECTURE