Archive for the ‘Pedro Almodovar’ Category

THE  65th BAFTA AWARDS /

THE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS

Took place on Sunday 12th February 2012 in London

BAFTA WINNERS IN THE FILM CATEGORY:

Best Film: The Artist

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin – The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer – The Help

Rising Star Award: Adam Deacon

Best British Film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy directed by Tomas Alfredson

Best Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Best Adapted Screenplay: Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Costume Design: Mark Bridges – The Artist

Best Foreign Language Film: The Skin I Live In directed by Pedro Almodovar

Source: 65th BAFTA Awards

BAD EDUCATION

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez, Daniel Giminez Cacho, Raul Garcia Forneiro, Nacho Perez

Pedro Almodovar’s Bad Education is a film noir inspired meditation on love, sex, drugs and identities. It is the story of two men in Spain, Enrique( Fele Martinez), a film director, and Ignacio (the gorgeous rising Spanish star Gael Garcia Bernal), an aspiring actor and writer, who meet again in the 1980s, 20 years after they attended a Catholic school together as children in the 1960s. As childhood friends and emerging lovers they were separated by an abusive and jealous priest, and Enrique is sent away to another school.

Twenty years on, Ignacio appears at Enrique’s door, now a successful film director and presents him with a story, entitled the Visit. Ignacio urges Enrique to make this story into a film, with him as the main star. After reading the Visit, Enrique realizes that the story tells of their boyhood romance and subsequent abuse and separation at the hands of the Catholic priest.

However, if there was a straightforward storyline, it would not be an Almodovar film, for nothing is straight forward, not to mention any straight characters. I am not going to reveal more than that the film takes on many interesting twists and turns when Enrique embarks on an investigation into Ignacio, and several secrets are revealed, not to mention drag tendencies, drugs, blackmail and even murder!

Almodovar’s casual almost indifferent treatment of drugs, gay sex and sexual identities as part of everyday life marks him as a distinctly European and Spanish director, who fortunately has never gone mainstream, falling prey to the prudish restrictions of Hollywood. For all these aspects are naturally part of a storyline which weaves truth and fantasy, reality and desire into a film noir story of hidden identities, literary ambitions and unrequited love, magnetically sustained by Bernal and Martinez ‘s strong central performances.

The most memorable scene in the film is the swimming pool scene, where after a night out clubbing, a suspicious, yet amorous Enrique invites Ignacio back to his opulent Madrid home for an early morning swim, with a view of seduction. The scene is done with such tantalizing style, covering the best parts of both actors undressing and diving into the pool, in which a lot can be said for a pair of white briefs.

Almodovar’s trademark use of primary colours, especially yellows, greens and reds in set and costume design, provides a vibrant backdrop to his zany characters in Bad Education while conveying a wonderful sense of Spain being a liberated country, filled with a bright sexual honesty and freedom.

A clever, well acted, stylish and coquettishly directed film, which will keep any gay audience riveted if not aroused. Highly recommended viewing for all Almodovar fans who are willing to add Bad Education to their retro Spanish film collection.

THE  56TH BAFTA AWARDS /

THE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS

Took place on the 23rd February 2003 in London

BAFTA WINNERS IN THE FILM CATEGORY:

Best Film: The Pianist

Best Director: Roman Polanski – The Pianist

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis – Gangs of New York

Best Actress: Nicole Kidman – The Hours

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Walken –Catch Me If You Can

Best Supporting Actress: Catherine Zeta-Jones – Chicago

Best British Film: The Warrior directed by Asif Kapadia

Best Original Screenplay: Talk to Her (Hable con ella) – Pedro Almodóvar

Best Adapted Screenplay: Adaptation. – Charlie and Donald Kaufman

Best Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Best Foreign Language Film: Talk to Her (Hable con ella) directed by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)

56th BAFTA Awards

The  53rd BAFTA Awards /

The British Academy Film Awards

Took place on 9^th April 2000 in London

BAFTA Winners in the Film Category:

Best Film: American Beauty

Best Director: Pedro Almodóvar – All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)

Best Actor: Kevin Spacey – American Beauty

Best Actress: Annette Bening – American Beauty

Best Supporting Actor: Jude Law – The Talented Mr Ripley

Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith – Tea with Mussolini

Best British Film: East is East

Best Original Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman – Being John Malkovich

Best Adapted Screenplay: Neil Jordan – The End of the Affair

Best Foreign Language Film: All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) Spain

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/53rd_British_Academy_Film_Awards

72nd Academy Awards

26th March 2000

Oscar Winners at the 72nd Academy Awards

Best Film – American Beauty

Best Director: Sam Mendes – American Beauty

Best Actor: Kevin Spacey – American Beauty

Best Actress: Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine – The Cider House Rules

Best Supporting Actress: Angelina Jolie – Girl Interrupted

Best Original Screenplay – Alan Ball – American Beauty

Best Adapted Screenplay – John Irving – The Cider House Rules

Best Foreign Language Film – All About my Mother directed by Pedro Almodovar  (Spain)

Best Documentary Feature – One Day in September directed by Arthur Cohn and Kevin Macdonald

Best Original Score – John Corigiliano –  The Red Violin

Best Cinematography – Conrad L. Hall – American Beauty

Best Costume Design – Lindy Hemming – Topsy Turvy

Best Film Editing – Zach Staenberg – The Matrix

Best Visual Effects – The Matrix

Source – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/72nd_Academy_Awards