Blasco Ibáñez, the Novel of His Life

Berlanga approaches the universal figure of the writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez from a perspective which is very close to the way he depicts the characters in the rest of his work. His life, both public and private, is put through the Berlanguian miserabilization sieve. The episodes in which his initiatives ended up in failure are also depicted. In the different sequences, dealt with in an adventure-comedy tone, there are famous people from the arts and politics who had some sort of relationship with Blasco in Spain and also in Argentina, Hollywood or France.

Production: Central de Producciones Audiovisuales, S.L. (Madrid) – Antea Films, S.A. (Valencia), for Televisión Española and Canal 9.

Director: Luis García Berlanga.

Story and Screenplay: Luis García Berlanga, Antonio Gómez Rufo and Jorge G. Berlanga.

Director of Photography: Hans Burmann (Eastmancolor).

Music: Luis Mendo and Bernardo Fuster.

Editor: Iván Aledo.

Art Director: Rafael Palmero.

Costume Design: María José Iglesias.

Producers: José Luis Olaizola M., Rafael Díaz-Salgado and Pepe Ferrándiz.

Production Manager: Julio Sempere.

Production Chief: Juan Carlos Caro.

TVE Delegate: Carlos Martínez. TVV Delegate: Francisco M. Picó. Assistant Director: Raúl de la Morena. Second Assistant Director: Sergio Francisco. Third Assistant Director: José María González Sinde. Third Assistant Director: Rafael Maluenda. Continuity: Montserrat Ordorica. Assistant Camera: Pablo Burmann. Still photographer: Matías Nieto. Sound: Goldstein and Steinberg. Postproduction: Alicia Yubero. Digital Effects: La Luna de Madrid. Production Assistants: Carlos Ferrándiz and Jorge Sempere. Unit Production Manager: Juan Carlos Rodríguez. Make-up Artist: José Antonio Sánchez. Hair Stylists: Francisca Núñez and Nieves Sánchez. Assistant Make-up Artists: Susana Sánchez and Mª de Carmen Clavel. Decorator: Luis Ramírez. Production Supervisor: Miguel Ángel González. Production Secretaries: Cristina Caro, Mª Aránzazu Ferrándiz and Amparo Blasco-Ibáñez. Accountant: Bibiana Olaizola. Cashier/Payroll Clerk: Miguel Ángel Carrillo. Assistant Editor: Enrique Domínguez. Assistant Costume Designer: Lena Mossum. Head Tailor: Martín Díaz. Tailors: Rosario Esteban, Joaquín Montero and Alfonso Salcedo. Second Production Assistants: Víctor Sánchez, Cayetano Olaizola, Francisco Gallego, Alberto Barrera and Andrés Sánchez. Second Assistant cameras: Roberto Miguel and Miguel Valcárcel. Video Assistant: Carlos Mischa. Apprentice Directors: Antonio Llorente, Rafael Pascual and Ignacio Salazar. Production Apprentices: Ana de Dios, Alberto Espuig and Jorge Quintero. Props: Federico del Cerro. Juan Antonio Torrijos, Félix García and Diego Salcedo. Construction Manager: Ramón Moya. Purchasing Manager: Pedro de la Fuente. Head Painter: Julián Martín. Boom Operator: Sergio Burmann. Head Gaffer: Fulgencio Rodríguez. Head Grip: Ángel Gómez. Gaffers: Óscar Aguado and Enrique Pérez. Grip: Luis Hidalgo. Sound Editing Technicians: Pelayo Gutiérrez and Nacho Royo. Foley Operator: Manuel Corrales. Sound Mixers: Alfonso Pino. Laboratory and Telecine: Madrid Film. Editing and Mixing: Exa. Truca Final Scroller: Carlos Santos. Acknowledgements: Valencia Town Council, Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian regional government), Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat Valenciana, Hotel Meliá D. Jaime (Valencia), Ricardo Aparicio (Benicàssim), Spanish Ministry of Defence (Madrid’s Army), Casino de Madrid, Ateneo de Madrid, Madrid Town Council. Parks and gardens, Boadilla del Monte Town Council and Museum of Sorolla. With the collaboration of the Filmoteca de la Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Film Archive), Universidad Jaume I, Imprenta Vila of Valencia. Images from the film “El Ministro” courtesy of Azul y Negro, S.L. Images of the arrival of Blasco’s remains to Valencia courtesy of Filmoteca Valenciana.

Cast

Ramón Langa (Vicente Blasco Ibáñez), Ana García Obregón (Elena Ortúzar), Emma Penella (Emilia Pardo Bazán), Manuel Alexandre (old writer), Simón Andreu, Violeta Cela, Joaquín Climent, Cristina Collado, José Conde Cid, Antonio Dechent (Azzati), Raúl Fraire, Carlos Hipólito, Carlos Iglesias (Sorolla), Eusebio Lázaro, Mario Pardo (Félix Azzati), Mercè Pons (María), Antonio Resines, Enrique San Francisco, Gustavo Salmerón, Paco Vila, Manolo Andrés (Gaspar Blasco), Ángel Alarcón (Nicolás Estébanez), Ángel Alcázar (sergeant Bofill), Ramiro Alonso (police officer), Vicente Amaya (Sánchez Guerra), Rosita Amores (Rosita), Laura Aparicio (Bella Otero), Inocencio Arias (French minister), Txema Blasco (field judge), Andrea Bronston (Alice Tery), José María Caffarel (Alejandro Dumas junior), Javier Cámara (Soriano), Francisco Cambres (Teodoro Llorente), Gaspar Cano (assistant director), Berta Casals (Perlita), Francisco Catalá (bunker colonel), Amparo Chasco (French actress), Pep Cortés (Matías’s father), Marta Dualde (Rita Acosta), Borja Elgea (Sigfrido), Empar Ferrer (Cristeta), Cristina Fenollar (Florence), Javier Fuentes (Mario), Pepe Gil (executioner), Félix Granado (Rex Ingram), Trini Guillem (Ramona Blasco), Pep Guinyol (mayor of Burriana), Vicente Haro (Morote), Bill Holden (Sullivan), Fernando Huesca (lieutenant Alesteui), Chris Huerta (Sultan), Toni Isbert (Don Jaime de Borbón), Javier Lago (execution officer), Juli Leal (theatre actor), Mabel Lozano (Mata-Hari), Marisa Lull (seamstress), Juan Salvador Lloret (boat punter), Eduardo MacGregor (Miguel de Unamuno), Stella Manaut (Benlliure’s servant), Mario Martín (Canalejas), Óscar Martínez (Hollywood employee), Juli Mira (D. Roberto), Germán Montaner (Pi i Margall secretary), Borja Morales (young Matías), Inés Morales (Clotilde Sorolla), Antonio Morant (secretary), Salvador Olmos (Salvaoret), Pilar Ortega (Encarnita), Julio Ortemín (Croupier), Ana Otero (Greta Garbo), Javier de Pablo (Julius Caesar), Rafael Penagos (minister of Defence), Pape Pérez (lieutenant Rius), Alfred Picó (Faus), Carles Pons (Benito Pérez Galdós), Abdel Ragab (interpreter), Alicia Ramírez (Pilar), Jacobo Royo (Batistep), Emilia Rubio (Casilda), José Mª Sacristán (Manrique), Raquel Sanchís (Matías’s mother), Florentino Soria (Jáuregui), Julio Salvi (Salustio), Marisa Tejada (Guadalupe), Goya Toledo (Carmen), Guillermo Toledo (Santiago), Antonio de la Torre (Tonet), Miguel García Torres (family doctor), Carlos Tristancho (Bombita), César Varona (Julio Cola), Bruno Vella (foreman), Mariano Venancio (Luis de Armiñán), María Vico (Sorolla’s servant), Fernando Vivanco (Mariné), Toni Zenet (Milá).