The name Álex de la Iglesia is known to any lover of Spanish cinema. He is a director, screenwriter and producer famous for his black comedies.
In our Spanish school we think that learning Spanish is not just studying it but living it. To this end, we help our students to know the diversity of Spanish culture. Thus, we talk about literature, cinema, traditions and Spanish festivities. In this way, today we are going to present you to Álex de la Iglesia, a Spanish film director.
Álex de la Iglesia is a Spanish filmmaker born in Bilbao, Basque Country. Bachelor of Philosophy preferred to devote himself to film and comics and I had his film debut in 1988. From the beginning his works were characterized by the macabre comic aesthetic. Also, his films always have a humorous note, thus being the motto of the director’s life.
Today we present 3 of the best films of Álex de la Iglesia. In addition. We leave the link to the IMDb resource so you can learn more works of the director.
El día de la bestía (The Day of the Beast)
With this horror comedy Álex de la Iglesia got his first Goya as best director.
The film tells the story of the priest Angel who believes he has found a secret message of the Apocalypse. According to this, the Antichrist will be born December 25 in Madrid. In order to prevent it, Angel joined a death metal aficionado and the host of an esoteric program. Together they try to discover the site of the Antichrist’s birth and stop it.
Las brujas de Zugarramurdi (The witches of Zugarramurdi)
This black comedy is based on an auto de fe made by the Spanish Inquisition in 1610. The Inquisition accuses witchcraft to 39 women of the Zugarramurdi people. In addition, one of the main characters played Mario Casas of which we spoke to you a few weeks ago.
The story begins when 2 unemployed men rob a house and flee from the police and the ex-wife of one of them. Thus, they reach the deep forests of Navarre and fall into the hands of a group of crazy cannibal women.
Balada triste de la trompeta (Sad trumpet ballad)
This black and dramatic comedy was awarded multiple prizes, including the Goya. It begins in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War when one of the militiamen force two clowns from a circus to fight. Then, in the seventies, the son of one of them also starts working in circus as a sad clown. He falls in love with a trapeze artist who is the girlfriend of the silly clown, a macho and aggressive man.
We hope you like movies as unusual as those of Álex de la Iglesia. Thus, watching movies and series in original is a perfect way to learn Spanish in a fun way. Also, if you see the movies you think little and want to study Spanish in a native environment, we recommend you come to our Spanish school in Valencia. You will see, that our classes are very entertaining and you can completely immerse yourself in Mediterranean life! We are waiting;)
Meanwhile, until the next blog!
