Jaime de Armiñán Oliver (9 March 1927 – 9 April 2024) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. His films have been nominated for
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
in the Foreign language film category twice, in 1972 for and in 1980 for ''
El Nido
El Nido, officially the Municipality of El Nido (, ), is a municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 50,494 people.
A managed resource protected area,
His 1974 film ''
El amor del capitán Brando
''The Love of Captain Brando'' () is a 1974 Spanish drama film written and directed by Jaime de Armiñán, starring Ana Belén, Fernando Fernán Gómez, and Jaime Gamboa.
The film was a critical and commercial success and was one of the highe ...
'' was entered into the
24th Berlin International Film Festival
The 24th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June to 2 July 1974.
The Golden Bear was awarded to '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' directed by Ted Kotcheff.
Juries
The following people were announced as being on t ...
35th Berlin International Film Festival
The 35th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 15 to 26 February 1985. The retrospective was dedicated to ''Special effects''.
The Golden Bear was jointly awarded to '' The Woman and the Strangler'' directed by Rainer Simon a ...
, where
Fernando Fernán Gómez
Fernando Fernández Gómez (28 August 1921 – 21 November 2007), better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez, was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director, novelist, and playwright. Prolific and outstanding in all these fiel ...
won the
Silver Bear for Best Actor
The Silver Bear for Best Actor () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films i ...
. In 1994, his film ''
Al otro lado del Túnel
''On the Far Side of the Tunnel'' () is a 1994 cinema of Spain, Spanish drama film directed by Jaime de Armiñán. It was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
Cast
* Rafael Alonso as Hermano Benito
* Luis Barbero as Prior
* ...
'' was entered into the
44th Berlin International Film Festival
The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1994. British producer Jeremy Thomas was the Jury President for the Main Competition.
The Golden Bear was awarded to ''In the Name of the Father'', directed by ...
.
Life and career
Jaime de Armiñán was born on 9 March 1927 in Madrid within a family of artist, politicians and writers. He studied law at
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...
. After graduating as a lawyer, Armiñán began writing articles for such magazines as ''Fotos'' and ''Dígame''.
In the 1950s, he established himself as an award-winning playwright whose best known works include ''Eva sin Manzana'' ''(Eve Without the Apple)'' (1953), ''Nuestro fantasma'' (1956) (''Our Ghos''t) and ''Café del Liceo'' (''Cafe of the Opera''). Armiñán joined the television industry in 1959 when he was hired by
Radiotelevisión Española
The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...
, and soon developed a reputation as one of television most distinctive writer/directors, thanks to such series as ''Galeria de Maridos'' (1959) and ''Las Doce Caras de Juan'' (1967). During this period, Armiñán was also building a career as a screenwriter. He soon established himself as one of the most successful and prolific screenwriters, contributing with scripts most notably to
José María Forqué
José María Forqué Galindo (8 March 1923 – 17 March 1995) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
Biography
He was the father of the actress Verónica Forqué and the director Álvaro Forqué. He died on 17 March 1995 in Madrid ...
, one of the most commercial popular directors of the day. Among his scripts credits during this time are : ''El Secreto de Mónica'' (''Monica’s Secret'') (1961), ''El juego de La verdad'' (''The game of Truth'') (1963),and ''El diablo bajo la Almohada'' (''The devil under the Pillow'').
As the natural progression in his work in films, Armiñán moved to become a film director. He made his debut as director with his own scripts in 1969 with ''
Carola de día, Carola de noche
''Carola de día, Carola de noche'' () is a 1969 Spanish musical film starring Marisol. The film was written by Jaime de Armiñán and Leo Anchóriz and directed by the former.
Background
It was Jaime de Armiñán
Jaime de Armiñán Olive ...
'', ''(Carola by day and by night )'', a project tailor-made to revive the sagging career of former child star, Marisol who, at age 21, was starring her first role as an adult. This was followed by the equally forgettable: ''La Lola dicen que no vive sola'' (1970) ''(Lola does not live alone)'', a comedy about a prostitute who promises to Virgin Mary not to have sex again if her daughter recovers from an illness to the disappointment of the men around her. While this first two directorial attempts came and went with little notice, Armiñán won acclaim with his third effort: ''Mi Querida Señorita'' ( My dearest Señorita) (1971) a project developed out of a collaboration with
José Luis Borau
José Luis Borau Moradell (8 August 1929 – 23 November 2012) was a Spanish producer, screenwriter, writer, and film director. He won the Goya Award for Best Director in 2000 for '' Leo''.
Borau was born in Zaragoza. In addition to directin ...
. The film, starring the popular Spanish actor
José Luis López Vázquez
José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre Medal of Merit in Labour, MMT (11 March 1922 – 2 November 2009) was a Spanish actor, comedian, costume designer, scenic designer, and assistant director whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He was ...
, tells the story of a repressed provincial spinster who late in life discovers that she is really a man and moves to the city to explore his new sexual identity. ''Mi Querida Señorita'' was a critical and popular success and was nominated in 1972 for the Oscars in the Foreign Language film category.
After the comedy ''Un casto varón español'' (1973), Armiñán made ''El amor del Capitan Brando'' (1974) ''(The Love of Captain Brando)'' a film that follows with sensitivity the relationship of Aurora, a young school teacher, with two men of opposite generations who fall in love with her: Fernando, a middle-aged republican exile, and Juan, a thirteen-year-old boy who enjoys playing acting in Westerns. ''El amor del Capitan Brando'' was a big commercial success. During the post Franco period, Armiñán sought ways to express both his political and social themes, but with varying degree of success. ''Nunca es tarde'' (1977) ''(Never too Late)'' recounts in parodied fashion the miraculous pregnancy of a woman in her eighties through her mystical identification with a young male neighbor who she claims is the child's spiritual father. A more pointed narrative of sexual and political repression comes through in ''Al servicio de la mujer española'' ''(At The service of the Spanish Woman)'' (1978), which parodies with black humor the puritanical sexual values of the francoist culture that outlived the regime and continued to shape provincial life.
Armiñán most acclaimed film of this period is ''
El Nido
El Nido, officially the Municipality of El Nido (, ), is a municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 50,494 people.
A managed resource protected area,Héctor Alterio
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain.
Biography
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato was born in Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Chacarita, ...
) for an adolescent girl played by
Ana Torrent
Ana Torrent Bertrán de Lis (born 12 July 1966) is a Spanish film actress. She featured as a child actress in pictures such as ''The Spirit of the Beehive'' (1973), and ''Cría cuervos'' (1976), ''Elisa, vida mía'' (1977) and '' The Nest'' (19 ...
. While seemingly only to portrait the details of an autumn spring romance, the film exposes the dominance of Spanish women. The young girl who fashion herself on
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...
, and the ambivalence of Spanish men who are controlled by matriarchal power. Ana Torrent won the best actress award at the Montreal film festival for her performance, and the film was also nominated for an Oscar that year; this was Armiñán second nomination.
Armiñán's filmography over the next fifteen year remained notably slender, largely due to his return to television and his highly successful scripting of several dramatic series. One of the few films he made during this period, '' La Hora Bruja'' (The Witching Hour) (1985) is noteworthy for its strong dramatic performances by
Francisco Rabal
Francisco Rabal Valera (8 March 1926 – 29 August 2001), popularly known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor. His career spanned more than 200 film and television roles, between 1942 and 2001. He received numerous accolades both in Spain and abro ...
,
Concha Velasco
Concepción Velasco Varona (29 November 1939 – 2 December 2023), known professionally as Concha Velasco, also Conchita Velasco, was a Spanish actress, singer, dancer, television presenter, and theatrical producer. She received numerous accolad ...
and
Victoria Abril
Victoria Mérida Rojas (born 4 July 1959), better known as Victoria Abril, is a Spanish film actress and singer based in France. She is possibly best known to international audiences for her performance in the film '' Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' b ...
in an amorous narrative involving the activities of a lascivious traveling magician. ''Al otro lado del Tunel'' ''(The Other Side of the Tunnel)'' (1994), presents a similar story of passion and old age, this time with the amorous pair constituted by
Maribel Verdú
María Isabel Verdú Rollán (born 2 October 1970), better known as Maribel Verdú (), is a Spanish actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades throughout her career spanning nearly four decades, including two Goya Awards for Best Act ...
and
Fernando Rey
Fernando Casado Arambillet (20 September 1917 – 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, international actor best known for hi ...
.
In 2008 Armiñán returned to directing films with ''14, Fabian Road'', starring Argentinian actress
Julieta Cardinali
Julieta Cardinali (born October 21, 1977) is an Argentine film and television actress.
Career
Julieta Cardinali began her career in television as the first non-Brazilian Paquita at Argentinian version of the television show ''El show de Xuxa'' ...
, Ana Torrent and
Ángela Molina
Ángela Molina Tejedor (born 5 October 1955) is a Spanish actress. Aside from her performances in Spanish films, she has starred in multiple international productions, particularly in a number of Italian films and television series.
Family
Mol ...
.
Jaime de Armiñán was married to
Elena Santonja
María Elena Santonja Esquivias (29 May 1932 – 17 October 2016) was a Spanish TV presenter and occasional actress.
Biography
She was the host of some shows in the early days of TVE such as '' Entre nosotras'' (1958), but she reached fame as ...
, a popular television presenter. The couple had three children. De Armiñán died in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...