Absolutely superb survey of some films I've seen and some I haven't. Even though I live in Spain I've never seen a Saura film. I think it's because I have a resistance to anything the "Spanish Cultural Elite" likes to recommend to itself.
In recent years lots of earnest culture types have gone on and on about him and I developed an instinctive distaste for this kind of "we decided he's good now" filmmaker. My taste tended toward the radically scabrous satire of Berlanga, whom I thought of as a kind of Buñuel descendent.
But your comments make me think I've misjudged things, so I'll give him a try.
Very much agree with your remarks on Criterion, but I've heard also that the Mubi streaming service does a good job on similar lines.
"I've heard also that the Mubi streaming service does a good job on similar lines."
Yeah I love Mubi for that. Criterion covers the canonical classics, Mubi largely gets the international and indie cinema that didn't hit that status but still has a lot of value. In my experience Mubi has more experimental, as well.
I'm still looking for something almost Shudder-like regarding cult cinema specifically and that would be the trifecta. If you get the canonical classics, the international indies, and comprehensive cult cinema, you're pretty covered on the majority of curated cinema. The rest is about discovery on your own terms.
Personally, Criterion is the only streaming service I subscribe to. With the various monthly retrospectives and streaming premieres it's like a never ending film festival.
I actually haven't seen any of them! Not that I'm not interested, it's just my cinephile journey hasn't worked out that way up to this point.
These days most of the movies I watch are in cinemas and I spend home viewing catching up on television series I never saw. I don't know when I'll go back to digging into the vaults, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually.
Personally I haven't watched a television per se in a very long time, probably since the pandemic. I guess I find myself more drawn to a film (a single work with a beginning and end) rather than the extended middle of tv shows. Younger me did enjoy that.
I've only seen one film directed by Berlanga, Plácido. Do you have any other recommendations?
I'm not entirely sure about the situation in Spain, but I can think of quite a few filmmakers who have benefited from revivals of esteem after being out of fashion for years and years: Powell & Pressburger, Douglas Sirk, Jean-Pierre Melville.
In the Anglophone world, I'd put Saura in the same category as someone like Naruse or King Hu: not so much returning to fashion as being discovered for the first time after their films finally become available on DVD/streaming.
You are truly a cinephile and I salute that, when you mention directors outside the mainstream very often I have no idea who you're talking about.
For Berlanga I've only ever seen his films from the Transition times, when his main aim was to satirise the right-wing Francoist Establishment. I don't know if he was effective or not, maybe we'd be in a worse state without him.
So his most important work for me is the "National" trilogy: La Escopeta Nacional and its sequels. Maybe only La Escopeta (National Shotgun) still has bite, the sequels are a bit of a retread. La Vaquilla (The Heifer) is a truly excellent blackish wartime comedy set in the Spanish civil war. To me there are only 3 good films set in that era: Land & Freedom by Ken Loach, Pan's Labyrinth by del Toro and La Vaquilla. Notable that the other two are made by non-Spaniards.
EDIT: BBC article on Berlanga, notable that the Beeb wouldn't bother with a non-trendy director now.
Lined up and ready to watch, probably this week along with El Sur. Must confess I'd never heard of it until recently. Though I live in Spain I'm more connected to Catalan-language culture because of my circumstances.
Absolutely superb survey of some films I've seen and some I haven't. Even though I live in Spain I've never seen a Saura film. I think it's because I have a resistance to anything the "Spanish Cultural Elite" likes to recommend to itself.
In recent years lots of earnest culture types have gone on and on about him and I developed an instinctive distaste for this kind of "we decided he's good now" filmmaker. My taste tended toward the radically scabrous satire of Berlanga, whom I thought of as a kind of Buñuel descendent.
But your comments make me think I've misjudged things, so I'll give him a try.
Very much agree with your remarks on Criterion, but I've heard also that the Mubi streaming service does a good job on similar lines.
"I've heard also that the Mubi streaming service does a good job on similar lines."
Yeah I love Mubi for that. Criterion covers the canonical classics, Mubi largely gets the international and indie cinema that didn't hit that status but still has a lot of value. In my experience Mubi has more experimental, as well.
I'm still looking for something almost Shudder-like regarding cult cinema specifically and that would be the trifecta. If you get the canonical classics, the international indies, and comprehensive cult cinema, you're pretty covered on the majority of curated cinema. The rest is about discovery on your own terms.
I see.
Personally, Criterion is the only streaming service I subscribe to. With the various monthly retrospectives and streaming premieres it's like a never ending film festival.
Any thoughts on the specific films I mentioned?
I actually haven't seen any of them! Not that I'm not interested, it's just my cinephile journey hasn't worked out that way up to this point.
These days most of the movies I watch are in cinemas and I spend home viewing catching up on television series I never saw. I don't know when I'll go back to digging into the vaults, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually.
I see.
Personally I haven't watched a television per se in a very long time, probably since the pandemic. I guess I find myself more drawn to a film (a single work with a beginning and end) rather than the extended middle of tv shows. Younger me did enjoy that.
I've only seen one film directed by Berlanga, Plácido. Do you have any other recommendations?
I'm not entirely sure about the situation in Spain, but I can think of quite a few filmmakers who have benefited from revivals of esteem after being out of fashion for years and years: Powell & Pressburger, Douglas Sirk, Jean-Pierre Melville.
In the Anglophone world, I'd put Saura in the same category as someone like Naruse or King Hu: not so much returning to fashion as being discovered for the first time after their films finally become available on DVD/streaming.
You are truly a cinephile and I salute that, when you mention directors outside the mainstream very often I have no idea who you're talking about.
For Berlanga I've only ever seen his films from the Transition times, when his main aim was to satirise the right-wing Francoist Establishment. I don't know if he was effective or not, maybe we'd be in a worse state without him.
So his most important work for me is the "National" trilogy: La Escopeta Nacional and its sequels. Maybe only La Escopeta (National Shotgun) still has bite, the sequels are a bit of a retread. La Vaquilla (The Heifer) is a truly excellent blackish wartime comedy set in the Spanish civil war. To me there are only 3 good films set in that era: Land & Freedom by Ken Loach, Pan's Labyrinth by del Toro and La Vaquilla. Notable that the other two are made by non-Spaniards.
EDIT: BBC article on Berlanga, notable that the Beeb wouldn't bother with a non-trendy director now.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210903-why-berlanga-is-spains-greatest-film-director
Spirit of the Beehive?
Lined up and ready to watch, probably this week along with El Sur. Must confess I'd never heard of it until recently. Though I live in Spain I'm more connected to Catalan-language culture because of my circumstances.
This was a great read! I had never heard of Carlos Saura, but after reading this piece I’m gonna check out some of his films. Thanks
There's a retrospective on the Criterion Channel, if you have that.
Thanks, I’ll check it out