Iván Zulueta’s only feature as sole director. A cult film; a queer film; a vampire film; a film maudit; a film about film; a film about drugs; a film about film as a drug; a film that deserves to be better known. Audiences will recognise many of Almodóvar’s collaborators from his earliest works (Cecilia Roth, Eusebio Poncela, Luis Ciges, Will More; Ángel Luis Fernádez is the dop) and the voice of Almódovar himself. A genre film that transforms into an auteur film. A film of the Movida and a film of the transition. A film that embodies and evokes one era but that gained traction in another. A cinephile’s film about addiction where one delights in being bitten by drugs and cinema even as that bite becomes transformative and potentially deadly. An avant-garde experiment encased in a genre film. A trawl through the underground that aimed at the mainstream. Aside from this film, Zulueta is probably best known today for his fantastic designs for the posters of Almodóvar’s early films. A film to see and discuss.
The podcast may be listened to here:
The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT
and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546
SOME OF THE SCENES DISCUSSED IN THE PODCAST:
Beginning: Editing Vampires
Gran Via as Repertory Cinema:
Discussing Mae West:
King Solomon’s Mines and Cinephilia:
Cecilia Roth as Betty Boop:
End:
Drugs. Male Nudity, Cinema:
José Arroyo