Vicente Aranda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vicente Aranda
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Aranda in 2010
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| Born |
Vicente Aranda Ezquerra
9 November 1926 |
| Died | 26 May 2015 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1964–2015 |
| Awards | Goya Best Director for Amantes Best Film for Amantes |
Vicente Aranda Ezquerra (9 November 1926 – 26 May 2015) was a famous Spanish film director and screenwriter. He also worked as a producer.
Aranda was known for his unique style and was one of Spain's most respected filmmakers. He helped start the Barcelona School of Film. He was also famous for turning popular Spanish books into movies. Aranda often explored challenging social topics and different kinds of relationships in his films.
Early Life and Beginnings
Vicente Aranda Ezquerra was born in Barcelona on 9 November 1926. He was the youngest child in a large family that had moved to Barcelona from Aragón. His father, a traveling photographer, passed away when Vicente was only seven years old.
His childhood was greatly affected by the Spanish Civil War. His family supported the losing side, which made things very hard. They moved to his mother's village, Peñalba, hoping it would be safer than Barcelona. But the situation near the war front was difficult, so they returned to Barcelona in 1938.
After the war, Aranda loved going to the local movie theater, even though his mother didn't like it. He never finished school. At age thirteen, he started working to help his family. He tried many different jobs in Barcelona. In 1952, he moved to Venezuela for better opportunities. There, he worked for a shipping company and later for NCR. After seven years, he came back to Spain in 1959.
When he returned, Aranda was married and had some money. He wanted to become a novelist but felt he wasn't good enough at writing. He met many creative people in Catalonia who encouraged him to try filmmaking. He couldn't join the film school in Madrid because he hadn't finished high school. So, in Barcelona, Aranda taught himself how to direct his first movie.
Aranda was almost 40 when he started directing. He became internationally famous when he was in his 60s. He had a long and successful career, directing 27 films over more than 40 years.
Vicente Aranda was married twice. He had two daughters with his second wife, Teresa Font, who was also the editor for many of his films.
Film Career Highlights
Early Films (1964–1974)
Aranda's first film was Brillante Porvenir (1964), which means Promising Future. He co-directed it to avoid problems with the film directors' group in Spain. This film was inspired by an American novel and showed a young man trying to succeed in the middle class. Censors cut parts of Brillante Porvenir, and it wasn't very popular. This led Aranda to try more experimental filmmaking next.
His second film, Fata Morgana (1965), was very unusual for Spanish Cinema. It was an experimental film. At first, people didn't pay much attention to it. But later, Fata Morgana became known for inspiring the unique style of the Barcelona School of Film. This was an avant garde movement that wanted new and creative ideas in Spanish films.
In the years that followed, Aranda made films that were both artistic and inspired by popular media. He often took classic film genres and updated them.
After Spain became a democracy, Aranda made Asesinato en el Comité Central (1982), which means Murder in the Central Committee. This film was about the effects of Franco's time in power. It was based on a detective novel. This was Aranda's first film shot in Madrid, not Barcelona. It didn't do well financially.
Aranda then adapted a noir detective novel called Prótesis. He changed the main character to a woman and named his film Fanny Pelopaja (1984). The movie shows a woman trying to get even with a corrupt police officer. This film was co-funded by French producers. Aranda was unhappy with the French version of the film. Fanny Pelopaja was not popular at first, but it is now considered one of Aranda's best works.
To earn money, Aranda worked on a TV series called La Huella del Crimen (The Trace of the Crime). He was one of several famous Spanish directors asked to direct an episode. Aranda's episode, El Crimen del Capitán Sánchez (1984), was thought to be the best in the series.
Aranda's career really took off with Tiempo de Silencio (1986), or Time of Silence. This film was based on a famous novel. It had a great cast, including Imanol Arias and Victoria Abril. The story is set in the 1940s and shows the lives of poor people and the challenges faced by the middle classes. Even though some people felt the film simplified the book, Time of Silence was generally well-liked by audiences.
Aranda made two films about the famous person Eleuterio Sánchez, known as El Lute. These were El Lute: camina o revienta (1987) (El Lute, Run for Your Life) and El Lute II, mañana seré libre (1988) (El Lute Tomorrow I'll be Free). They were based on El Lute's own life story. El Lute: camina o revienta (1987) tells about El Lutes early life. He said poverty forced him into a difficult life in the 1960s. He was involved in a crime and was sentenced to prison. He became a folk hero because he escaped from jail many times. Aranda's films showed how El Lutes story was used by authorities at a time of political change. El Lute: camina o revienta was one of Aranda's most successful films and was the highest-earning Spanish film in 1987.
Aranda directed Los Jinetes del Alba (1990) (Riders of the Dawn), a TV miniseries about the Spanish Civil War and the anarchist movement. It tells the story of a young woman in Asturias who wants to own the resort where she works. This is considered one of Aranda's most important works.
In the 1990s, Aranda continued to make popular films that were shown at film festivals worldwide. With Amantes (1991), he finally gained international attention and praise. This film was originally planned for TV. It had few actors and locations. It is now seen as one of his best works and a classic of Spanish Cinema. This film started Aranda's most productive period.
Some of Vicente Aranda's films show real-life events that seem extraordinary. In Intruso (1993) (Intruder), Aranda explores the connection between love and difficult situations. This film is a psychological thriller. It's about a woman who is caught between her husband and her sick ex-husband, who were both her childhood friends. After ten years apart, they become involved in a sad story.
Aranda returned to the topic of the Spanish Civil War in Libertarias (1996) (Libertarians). This was a big drama with many actors. It showed the important role played by anarchist women during the Spanish Civil War.
Aranda revisited a familiar theme with Celos (1999) (Jealousy). This was his third film exploring a love triangle, following Amantes and Intruso.
In the early 2000s, Aranda started making historical films. He began a series of three historical dramas with Juana La Loca (2001) (Mad Love). This film retold the sad story of Joanna of Castile, a Spanish queen from the 15th century. It was very popular in Spain and was Spain's official entry for the 2001 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. It became Aranda's highest-earning movie.
Carmen (2003), based on a 1845 story by Prosper Mérimée, was another successful film for the experienced director.
Tirant lo Blanc (2006) was based on a famous Catalan chivalry novel from the 15th century. This was Aranda's most expensive film, made with a large budget. The movie had both humor and drama, but it wasn't as successful as his two previous films.
Aranda's last film, Luna Caliente (2009) (Hot Moon), was shown in October 2009 at the Valladolid International Film Festival. However, it did not find a large audience.
See also
In Spanish: Vicente Aranda para niños
