Fernando Trueba

Although with an uneven filmography, there is no doubt that Fernando Trueba has managed to win the favor of critics and at least part of the public. With a strong left-wing ideology, he does not cut his tongue when it comes to making statements and aligning himself politically. A disbelieving man, the words he uttered when picking up the Oscar in 1994 still ring in the memory of all moviegoers: “I would like to believe in God, but I only believe in Billy Wilder ”. Anyway, he at least he didn’t choose Edward D. Wood Jr , Lucio Fulci or Rob Zombie as an object of adoration.

Born in Madrid on January 18, 1955, Fernando Rodríguez Trueba wanted to be a painter when he was little, although he later forgot those childhood wishes and enrolled in the Faculty of Information Sciences to study Image and Sound. But the desire to study did not last long and he threw himself fully into what was on his mind at the time: the cinema. In 1974, at the age of nineteen, he began collaborating as a film critic at La Guía del Ocio, an occupation he maintained for five years. Later he began to collaborate with the newspaper El País and in 1981 he founded a film magazine, Casablanca, of which he was director for two years. During those years he was part of a group of friends where, among others, Óscar Ladoire , Antonio Resines or Carlos Boyero were.. With them he shot shorts like Óscar and Carlos 82 or In legitimate defense . His first feature film, precisely titled Ópera prima (1980), created a certain style –fresh, modern, casual–, which later came to be called “Madrid comedy” and of which other filmmakers were part, such as Fernando Colomo . The film was very well received by the public and won several critics’ awards. Those were the years of the movement in the capital, the years of Tierno Galván, of disclosure and debauchery, of drugs and punk, of red pants and black leather or brown corduroy jackets.

After shooting the documentary While the body endures (1982), Trueba repeated the style with his next comedy, Sal gorda (1983), about a pianist in low hours. During those years, he also met who would become his sentimental partner, Cristina Huete. His next film also marked a new era in his filmography, since it meant his collaboration with producer Andrés Vicente Gómez . Be unfaithful and don’t look with whom(1985) undoubtedly established him on the Spanish film scene, with the seal of his own production company Fernando Trueba PC. It is a comedy about infidelity, with undeniable rhythm and commendable performances by the large cast. That same year, however, he changed register for the first time and moved, as was to be expected, to the Franco years, to shoot El año de las luces , starring Jorge Sanz and Maribel Verdú . In 1988 he was named president of the Spanish Film Academy, a position he held only that year. Then, after the failed thriller The Dream of the Crazy Monkey (1989), he would shoot the comedy that would establish him internationally.

With Belle epoque (1992) Trueba returned to the past, specifically to the years of the Second Spanish Republic. The film brought together a group of very young actresses who would become stars on the screen, such as Penélope Cruz , Ariadna Gil , Maribel Verdú or the most veteran Miriam Díaz Aroca .. The director recovered his style of fast and carefree comedy, within a good traditional recreation of those “happy” times. The result was not bad, although it is a very light film and for many it was a real surprise that it managed to win the Oscar for best foreign film. Already known worldwide, he decided to fly to the United States to shoot a comedy in English, this time, in true Billy Wilder style. Two Much (1992) is fun, has rhythm and the love affair script is quite round. It also had performers of great impact, such as Melanie Griffith , Daryl Hannah or Danny Aiello . The film is also remembered because it romantically united Antonio Banderaswith Melanie Griffith.

Trueba’s next project was also ambitious. The Apple of Your Eyes (1998) is a film made with a great production effort, which recreated Nazi Germany, and where the pizpireta Pe once again stood out. Trueba won with the film no more and no less than seven Goya awards. Two years later, the director would give free rein to another of his great passions: jazz. Specifically, he brought together a large group of Latin jazz performers, such as Michel Camilo , Jerry González or Gato Barbieri and shot the documentary Calle 54 . Worse it was with The spell of Shanghai (2002), ill-fated adaptation of a novel by Juan Marsé. She later returned to the world of music with the documentary El milagro de Candeal (2004), where she told the story of a Brazilian favela and the singer Carlinhos Brown . The latest that the director has released is El baile de la Victoria (2009), a solid drama set in Chile, which has had the leading role of Ricardo Darín .