The death of a cyclist
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The death of a cyclist |
| Original title | Muerte de un ciclista |
| Country of production | Spain |
| original language | Spanish |
| Publishing year | 1955 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Juan Antonio Bardem |
| script | Juan Antonio Bardem Luis Fernando de Igoa |
| production | Manuel J. Goyanes |
| music | Isidro B. Maiztegui |
| camera | Alfredo Fraile |
| cut | Margarita de Ochoa |
| occupation | |
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| chronology | |
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Death of a Cyclist (AKA Muerte de un ciclista ) is in black and white twisted Spanish film drama by Juan Antonio Bardem from the year 1955 . The film is one of the early exponents of the young, Franco-critical Spanish cinema and was one of the first in its country to receive an award in Cannes .
action
María, a member of the upper class of society in Madrid , and her lover Juan, a university professor, carelessly hit a cyclist in their car. Because they fear that their affair will become known, they hit the road . Juan later learns from the newspaper that the accident victim died from his injuries. Distracted by the news, Juan is responsible for failing the student Matilde. While there are protests from students demanding Juan's removal, and María is blackmailed by the upstart Rafa, who suspects a connection between her, Juan and the accident, Juan's guilty conscience begins to plague Juan. Without revealing himself, he goes to the apartment block in the working-class district where the killed cyclist lived and tries to reconcile with Matilde. María and Juan drive together to the scene of the accident, which was once a bloody scene of the Spanish Civil War . Juan tries to persuade María to face the police with him, whereas she wants to go abroad with her husband Miguel. María kills Juan and is the victim of a traffic accident on the way back to town.
background
The Death of a Cyclist premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1955 . Director Bardem was a member of the jury that same year. The film was temporarily banned in Spain, but could eventually be shown in cinemas there. The film opened on September 19, 1958 in the GDR and on October 9, 1959 in the Federal Republic of Germany .
criticism
“Juan Antonio Bardem, the Spanish forerunner of the 'New Wave', demonstrates the behavior of an entire class in a melodramatic individual case - an accident with fatal outcome, hit-and-run and murder - the high society of Madrid. He succeeded in making an obvious film, although he did not fail to use violent camera settings, bright scenic contrasts and shocking cuts. "
“A couple's hit and run becomes a fundamental escape from responsibility and reveals a deep entanglement in social guilt that continually produces new injustices. The fearful consequences provide the framework for sharply illuminated character studies that contain, among other things, an encrypted social criticism of the Spain of Franco. A courageous film with seriousness of conscience and a high intellectual level. "
Awards
- 1955: FIPRESCI Prize to Juan Antonio Bardem at the 1955 Cannes International Film Festival
Web links
- The death of a cyclist in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Edward F. Stanton: Culture and Customs of Spain. Greenwood Press, Westport 2002, ISBN 0-313-31463-2 , p. 111.
- ^ Marsha Kinder: Creating a Modern Spanish Cinema . Essay in the DVD -Issue the Criterion Collection , 2008, accessed January 25, 2013.
- ^ Jury of the 1955 Cannes International Film Festival in the festival's web archive, accessed on January 25, 2013.
- ↑ a b short review . In: Der Spiegel . No. 48 , 1959 ( online ).
- ↑ a b The Death of a Cyclist in the Lexicon of International Films