María Luisa Bemberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
María Luisa Bemberg
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María Luisa Bemberg
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| Born | 14 April 1922 |
| Died | 7 May 1995 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Film director Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1959 - 1995 |
María Luisa Bemberg (born April 14, 1922 – died May 7, 1995) was an important Argentine film director, writer, and actress. She was one of the first women in Argentina to direct films and had a big impact on the country's intellectual scene from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Bemberg often made movies about famous Argentine women and the lives of wealthy families. She also explored feminist ideas, looking at how gender was shown in films. Many people consider her to be Argentina's most important female film director.
Contents
Discovering María Luisa Bemberg's Life
Her Early Life and Family
María Luisa Bemberg was born into one of Argentina's richest and most powerful families. Her great-grandfather, Otto Bemberg, was a German immigrant who started the huge Quilmes Brewery in 1888.
Even though she came from a wealthy family, María Luisa never went to high school or college. Instead, she was taught at home by a private teacher.
In 1945, she married Carlos Miguens, an architect. They moved to Spain during the time of Juan Perón's presidency. They had four children there before coming back to Argentina. One of their sons, Carlos Miguens Bemberg, became a well-known businessman. María Luisa and Carlos divorced ten years later. Later, she had a partner named Oscar Kramer, who was a film producer.
Her Journey in the Arts
María Luisa Bemberg became involved with the Smart Theater in 1949, which was later called the Astral Theater. In 1959, she helped create and manage Buenos Aires's Teatro Del Globo with her friend Catalina Wolff.
She was also one of the people who started the Mar del Plata Film Festival. She helped create the Feminist Union in Argentina. Her early efforts to form feminist groups were stopped by the military government that took over after Perón in the mid-1950s. Bemberg was inspired by the French writer André Malraux, who visited her aunt's Villa Ocampo in 1959. He believed that "one must live what one believes," and this idea influenced her.
In 1970, she wrote the script for Crónica de una señora, a successful film about Argentina's upper class. In 1975, she wrote the script for Triangle of Four. After her film Señora de nadie was censored by the military government, she went to New York. There, she studied acting with Lee Strasberg. This helped her understand how to approach a film from an actor's point of view.
In 1971, Bemberg worked with another feminist to create the UFA (Union Feminista Argentina). This group helped young women explore feminist ideas when divorce was difficult and there were no women's shelters. The UFA stopped meeting after two years due to government rules.
Bemberg decided to become a director because she was not happy with how male directors changed her screenplays. She said, "I realized the story belongs to the director rather than the screenwriter, so I decided to direct." She felt that Latin American films often showed women in uninteresting ways, and she wanted to change that. She started her own film company, GEA, with Lita Stantic. In 1981, she directed her first film, Momentos, which she paid for herself.
Bemberg's Famous Films
María Luisa Bemberg wrote and directed many important films. These include:
- Señora de nadie (1982)
- Camila (1984): This film was about a priest and his lover who were punished by the Argentine leader Juan Manuel de Rosas. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
- Miss Mary (1986): This movie starred the British actress Julie Christie.
- Yo, la peor de todas (1990): This film was about the life of Juana Inés de la Cruz, a famous writer. It starred French actress Dominique Sanda.
Bemberg's films were very popular because they often had dramatic stories, like Camila. They were also very successful financially. Throughout her career, Bemberg worked closely with producer Lita Stantic and costume designer Graciela Galan.
The Story of Camila
Camila was María Luisa Bemberg's third film and the first to become famous around the world. In 1984, Camila was the biggest movie hit in Argentina's history.
Her producer, Lita Stantic, gave her a novel about the life of Camila O'Gorman, an Argentine socialite. Stantic wanted Bemberg to show she could tell a love story. Bemberg wanted to show Camila as a strong woman who actively pursued her relationship. She wanted to show Camila breaking free from the rules of family, church, and state.
Bemberg could only make the film after President Raúl Alfonsín stopped film censorship in 1983. This made the movie a political statement as well as a romantic story. Even though the film has a romantic plot, it has a sad ending during the time of Juan Manuel de Rosas's rule. The film cost about US$370,000 to make.
Her Final Years
María Luisa Bemberg's last film was De eso no se habla in 1993, which starred Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni.
Before she passed away, Bemberg was working on a script based on a story by Silvina Ocampo, a distant relative. This story was later made into a film in 1997 by her longtime helper, Alejandro Maci.
She gave her personal art collection to the National Museum of Fine Arts. María Luisa Bemberg died from cancer in Buenos Aires on May 7, 1995, at the age of 73.
Key Ideas in Bemberg's Films
Film experts say that all of Bemberg's movies show female characters who challenge the rules and limits of their societies. Her feminist films show women trying to find their place in a world mostly controlled by men.
Bemberg also created her own style for films, which she called the "woman's look." She felt this perspective was missing from many films, especially those from Latin America.
Many scholars have noticed that Bemberg's films often included parts of her own life story.
Not all of Bemberg's films were about historical events. When they were, she explained that she wanted to "situate the viewer in the period." She was more interested in the human characters than in perfectly recreating historical settings.
In a book called Notable Twentieth-century Latin American Women, Bemberg talked about her character Sor Juana in the film Yo, la peor de todas. Bemberg based this character on a book by Mexican writer Octavio Paz. The book said that Sor Juana's character also showed parts of Bemberg's own life. Both women were self-taught, challenged norms, and were dedicated to their work.
Awards and Recognition
María Luisa Bemberg's films received many honors:
- Two of her films were shown at the Venice Film Festival.
- Camila was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
- Señora de nadie was featured at the Taormina and Panama Film Festivals.
- Miss Mary received special mentions at the Tokyo and Venice Film Festivals.
- She received Konex Awards in 1984 and 1991, and an Honour Konex in 2001. She also won many awards at international film festivals.
She also served as a judge at film festivals in Cartagena, Berlin, Chicago, and Venice.
Images for kids
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María Luisa Bemberg
See also
In Spanish: María Luisa Bemberg para niños
