Carlos Saura, one of the most influential figures in the world of Spanish cinema, has died at the age of 91. The film academy of Spain first revealed the news.
Saura's childhood in the shadows of the Spanish Civil War played a significant role in his artistic worldview. In the late 1950s, he became well-known for refusing to criticize Francisco Franco for the effects his regime had on Spanish life.
His most well-known early films included the 1966 drama "The Hunt," which won Saura the Silver Bear for his portrayal of Spanish Civil War veterans dealing with the aftermath of the conflict in Berlin Film Festival. In 1968, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut interrupted a screening of "Peppermint Frappé," which was immortalized in film history when they protested students and workers. In the 1970s, his films "La Prima Angélica" and "Cra Cuervo
Saura halted making political films and began a second act that focused on dance films when Franco died in 1975. The trilogy of films that he would return to throughout his career included "Blood Wedding," "Carmen," and "Love the Magician."
Saura was asked about the differences between his dance films and his more traditional narratives in a 1999 interview with IndieWire. He explained that he did not like to categorize his work in two categories; all of his films were inspired by various moments in his life.
"It's difficult to say. I don't have a preference as such." I remember all of my films with a certain sentiment, because I like all of my films very much, Saura said. "It's because I have a memory [of filmmaking], or I met somebody there, or one of my wives worked with me."
Saura remained an active filmmaker until his death. His last film, titled "Las Paredes Hablan," premiered in 2022 when the filmmaker was 90 years old.