Jess Franco

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Jess Franco (2008)

Jess Franco (born May 12, 1930 in Madrid , † April 2, 2013 in Málaga ; actually Jesús Franco Manera ) was a Spanish film director , screenwriter and actor . Jess Franco enjoyed the reputation of a black sheep for a long time due to his horror films, some of which were sadomasochistic and surrealistic , and from the 1970s also enriched with pornographic elements . Today his uncompromising works are considered milestones of the SpanishExploitation films .

Life

Jess Franco has worked in film since 1952: first as a film composer and assistant director, from 1957 as a director. Most of the time he contributed the script to his films and played a supporting role. First, however, he made short films and his film Estampas guipuzcoanas número 2: Pío Baroja received the 1960 award for the best Spanish-language short film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival . He often worked with producers Artur Brauner , Erwin C. Dietrich and Marius Lesoeur .

Jess Franco was at home in all areas of genre film . At first he mainly made speculative horror films , psycho thrillers and crime novels . In the seventies he mixed more and more erotic elements into his mostly obsessions and psychological abysses. Franco always resorted to the erotic and gruesomely romantic trivial literature. At least in terms of titles, many of his films are close to Oscar Wilde , Leopold von Sacher-Masoch , the Marquis de Sade and others. The increasingly liberal handling of pornography finally allowed Franco to incorporate appropriate scenes in his films. Franco was also known for his women prison films . His first film of this genre ( The Hot Death ) was a great commercial success, especially in the USA, in the spring of 1969 and attracted a number of film imitators.

Franco described his motives with the words: "I'm a voyeur, and I don't want to be 'cured' by it - hence my gigantic pleasure in inventing sex scenes, directing them, seeing them and filming them on top of that." In the late In the 1970s he worked in the splatter , zombie and porn film genre, followed by popular action films and pure hardcore porn in the 1980s .

Franco, who never allowed himself to be absorbed by a single producer in the long term, always recorded material for several potential films by making additional takes . Some of his films were edited by other directors and released under a new title: Christina, princesse de l'érotisme was extended by a few scenes by Jean Rollin and renamed A maiden in the claws of zombies or Zombie 4 . Women's Prison 2 ( Les Gardiennes du penitencier , 1979) by Alain Deruelle and Julio Pérez Tabernero consists largely of scenes from Jess Franco's film Women's Prison .

Franco's first marriage was to actress Nicole Guettard until he met his long-time partner and frequent lead actress Lina Romay in 1972; he was married to her from 2008 until her death on February 15, 2012. Jess Franco was the uncle of the Spanish writer Javier Marías and the director Ricardo Franco .

Jess Franco died of complications from a stroke in April 2013 at the age of 82.

Awards

In June and July 2008 the Cinémathèque française devoted a large retrospective to him.

On February 1st, 2009 he received the Honorary Goya in Madrid for his life's work.

Filmography (selection)

Jess Franco has acted in over 200 films. Foreign-language original titles are in brackets.

Director

  • 1957: El árbol de España (short film)
  • 1958: El destierro del Cid (short film)
  • 1958: Estampas giupuzcoanas no.2: Pio Baroja (short film)
  • 1959: Las playas vacías (short film)
  • 1959: Oro español (short film)
  • 1959: Tenemos 18 años
  • 1960: Labios rojos
  • 1960: La reina del Tabarín
  • 1961: Screams through the night (Gritos en la noche)
  • 1962: La mano de un hombre muerto
  • 1962: Vampiresas 1930.
  • 1963: El llanero
  • 1963: Rififi en la ciudad
  • 1964: La muerte silba un blues
  • 1964: The living corpses of Dr. Jekyll (El secreto del Dr. Orloff)
  • 1965: The Secret of Doctor Z (Miss Muerte)
  • 1965: Cards on the table (Cartas boca arriba)
  • 1966: Residencia para espías
  • 1966: Necronomicon - Dreamed Sins
  • 1967: Lucky M. Fills all the coffins (Lucky, el intrépido)
  • 1967: Red Lips - Sadisterotica (El caso de las dos bellezas)
  • 1967: Red lips - kiss me, monster (Bésame monstruo)
  • 1968: The kiss of death of Dr. Fu Man Chu (The Blood of Fu Manchu)
  • 1968: The Seven Men of Sumuru (The Girl from Rio)
  • 1968: The hot death (99 mujeres)
  • 1969: Marquis de Sade: Justine (Marquis de Sade's Justine)
  • 1969: The torture chamber of Dr. Fu Man Chu (The Castle of Fu Manchu)
  • 1969: Venus in Furs
  • 1969: De Sade 70 - The Virgin and the Whip (Philosophy in the Boudoir)
  • 1969: The Blackmoor Witcheslayer (The Bloody Judge)
  • 1970: At Night When Dracula Wakes Up (Count Dracula)
  • 1970: The naked eyes of the night (Les cauchemars naissent la nuit)
  • 1970: Sex Charade
  • 1970: Eugenie de Sade (Eugénie)
  • 1970: Vampyros Lesbos - heiress of Dracula (Las vampiras)
  • 1970: She killed in ecstasy
  • 1970: The devil came from Akasava
  • 1970: X312 - Flight to Hell
  • 1971: Dr. M strikes
  • 1971: Soho's Death Avenger
  • 1971: A maiden in the talons of zombies (Christina, princesse de l'érotisme)
  • 1971: Virgins Report
  • 1971: Robinson and his wild slaves
  • 1972: The Night of the Open Coffins (Dracúla contra Frankenstein)
  • 1972: A maiden in the talons of Frankenstein (Les expériences érotiques de Frankenstein)
  • 1972: Los amantes de la isla del diablo
  • 1972: A maiden in the talons of vampires (La fille de Dracula)
  • 1972: The nuns of Clichy (Les demons)
  • 1972: Un capitán de quince años
  • 1972: Les ebranlées
  • 1972: Le journal intime d'une nymphomane
  • 1972: Un silencio de tumba
  • 1973: Plaisir à trois
  • 1973: La comtesse perverse
  • 1973: Al otro lado del espejo
  • 1973: Maciste contre la reine des Amazones
  • 1973: In the shadow of the murderer (La noche de los asesinos)
  • 1973: Perverse Emanuelle (Tendre et perverse Emanuelle)
  • 1973: Kiss Me Killer
  • 1973: Les gloutonnes
  • 1974: Desire Unleashed (Les avaleuses)
  • 1974: Les nuits brûlantes de Linda
  • 1974: Exorcisme
  • 1974: Girls for intimate hours (Célestine, bonne à tout faire)
  • 1974: Lorna, l'exorciste
  • 1974: Le jouisseur
  • 1974: Les chatouilleuses
  • 1975: Les emmerdeuses
  • 1975: Shining Sex
  • 1975: Hot Touches (Midnight Party)
  • 1975: women's prison
  • 1975: Women's prison 3 (Des diamants pour l'enfer)
  • 1975: Downtown - The naked dolls of the underworld
  • 1975: The portrait of Doriana Gray
  • 1976: Girls in night traffic
  • 1976: White skin on black thighs
  • 1976: The slaves
  • 1976: Around the world in 80 beds
  • 1976: Jack the Ripper - the harlot murderer of London
  • 1976: Greta - house without men
  • 1977: Love letters from a Portuguese nun
  • 1977: The women's refuge
  • 1977: The diabolical sisters
  • 1977: women without innocence
  • 1977: women in love camp
  • 1977: The call of the blonde goddess
  • 1977: Women for Cell Block 9
  • 1978: Moist lips (cocktail special)
  • 1978: Do it again baby (Elles font tout)
  • 1979: Sinfonía erótica
  • 1980: Mondo Cannibale 3 - The blonde goddess of cannibals (La deesse des barbaren)
  • 1980: Virgin among cannibals (El caníbal)
  • 1980: Sadomania - hell of lust
  • 1980: Lolita at the crossroads (Eugenie, historia de una perversión)
  • 1981: The saw of death
  • 1981: Cecilia (Aberraciones sexuales de una mujer casada)
  • 1981: The Naked Super Witches from Rio Amore (Linda)
  • 1981: Oasis of the Zombies (La tumba de los muertos vivientes)
  • 1982: Las orgías inconfesables de Emmanuelle
  • 1982: Mansion of the Living Dead (La mansión de los muertos vivientes)
  • 1983: Macumba sexual
  • 1983: The Revenge of the House of Usher (El hundimiento de la casa Usher)
  • 1983: Diamonds of Kilimandjaro (El tesoro de la diosa blanca)
  • 1984: Historia sexual de O
  • 1986: The golden temple of the Amazons (Les amazones du temple d'or)
  • 1987: Dark Mission (Operation cocaina)
  • 1988: Faceless
  • 1989: Esmeralda Bay (La bahía esmeralda)
  • 1989: La chute des aigles
  • 1992: Don Quixote de Orson Welles
  • 1994: Ciudad Baja [Downtown Heat]
  • 1996: Killer Barbys
  • 1997: Tender Flesh
  • 1998: Lust for Frankenstein (Lust for Frankenstein)
  • 1999: Vampire Sex - Lady Dracula 3 (Vampire Blues)
  • 2002: Killer Barbies vs Dracula
  • 2003: Jess Franco's Passion (Flores de la pasión)
  • 2003: Jess Franco's Perversion (Flores de perversión)
  • 2005: Snakewoman
  • 2008: La cripta de las mujeres malditas
  • 2010: Paula-Paula
  • 2012: Al Pereira vs. the alligator ladies

Other participation

  • 1953: Under the spell of blond Satan (La môme vert-de-gris)
  • 1954: Cómicos
  • 1954: The Coyote (El coyote)
  • 1954: The Coyote's Revenge (La justicia del Coyote)
  • 1954: Felices pascuas
  • 1955: The death of a cyclist (Muerte de un ciclista)
  • 1956: La melodía misteriosa
  • 1956: Around the World in 80 Days
  • 1956: Fear (Miedo)
  • 1956: Viaje de novios
  • 1957: El hombre que viajaba despacito
  • 1957: Los jueves, milagro
  • 1958: Historias de Madrid
  • 1959: Llegaron les franceses
  • 1959: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
  • 1960: Ama Rosa
  • 1962: Zorro - The Secret of Alamos (La venganza del Zorro)
  • 1962: Zorro, the black avenger (Cabalgando hacia la muerte)
  • 1963: 55 Days at Beijing
  • 1964: El extraño viaje
  • 1965: Lisbon agent trap (Misión Lisboa)
  • 1965: Falstaff (Campanadas a medianoche)
  • 1966: Flash 05
  • 1969: Che!
  • 1970: Vampire Cuadecuc
  • 1974: Chicas de alquiler
  • 1974: Hommes de joie pour femme vicieuses
  • 1977: La profezia
  • 1978: raiding party in the desert (La guerre du pétrole)
  • 1979: I cannibali
  • 1981: Swamp of the Living Dead (Le lac de morts vivants)
  • 1985: Victims!
  • 1986: Angel of Death (Commando Mengele)
  • 1987: ¡Biba la banda!
  • 1988: Esa cosa con plumas
  • 1997: En la puta calle!
  • 1997: Kori
  • 2000: Call Him Jess
  • 2000: Orson Welles en le país de Don Quixote
  • 2001: Once Upon a Time in Europe
  • 2002: Farewell to the Deuce
  • 2003: Kárate a muerte en Torremolinos
  • 2003: Las primeras veces
  • 2003: Rossa Venezia
  • 2003: Shock Movies Massacre
  • 2004: See You Later Cowabunga: La maldición del cenachero diabólico
  • 2004: Angel of Death 2
  • 2005: Ellos robaron la picha de Hitler
  • 2005: Take-Away Spirit
  • 2007: The Life and Times of Jess Franco

actor

Jess Franco often worked with the same actors:

Recurring leading actresses:

Recurring lead actors:

Klaus Kinski played leading roles in Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969) and The Whore Murderer of London (1976), as well as supporting roles in Venus in Furs (1969) and Night When Dracula Wakes Up (1970).

Pseudonyms

Jess Franco used around 40 pseudonyms in his career. Franco, who was also active as a musician, borrowed some pseudonyms from jazz musicians who had already died , such as Clifford Brown or James P. Johnson .

List of pseudonyms: Joan Almirall, Clifford Brown, Clifford Brown Jr., Juan G. Cabral, Terry De Corsia, Raymond Dubois, Chuck Evans, Dennis Farnon, Jess Franck, Jess Franco, Adolf M. Frank, Anton Martin Frank, Jess Frank , John Frank, Wolfgang Frank, James Gardner, Robert Griffin, Lennie Hayden, Frank Hollmann, JP Johnson, James Lee Johnson, James P. Johnson, David J. Khune, David Khune, D. Khunne, D. Khunne Jr., David Khunne, David Kuhne, Frank Manera, Jeff Manner, Roland Marceignac, Tawer Nero, Cole Polly, Preston Quaid, Pierre Queret, P. Querut, Lowel Richmond, Dan L. Simon, Jean-Jacques Tarbes, Joan Vincent.

Overview of names that are often incorrectly identified as Jess Franco's pseudonyms (with details of their actual assignment):

  • Rosa María Almirall (= pseudonym and maiden name of his longtime muse and partner Lina Romay)
  • Betty Carter (= pseudonym for Lina Romay)
  • Candy Coster (= pseudonym for Lina Romay)
  • Rick Deconinck or Richard de Conninck (= Bigotini, actor and assistant director)
  • Manfred Gregor (= screenplay pseudonym of the producer Erwin C. Dietrich )
  • Lulu Laverne (= another pseudonym for Lina Romay)
  • Marius Lesoeur (= name of a French producer)
  • AL Mariaux (= pseudonym of the producer Marius Lesoeur)
  • John O'Hara (= pseudonym of the director José Jara)
  • Claude Plaut (= pseudonym of the actor Olivier Mathot, provided his name for Franco films from Eurociné, for union reasons - French films should be made by French!)
  • Michael Thomas (= director pseudonym of the producer Erwin C. Dietrich)
  • Pablo Villa (= pseudonym of the composer Daniel J. White, the copyrights of the music are often registered as Daniel White and Jésus Franco)
  • Daniel J. White (= name of a composer who often wrote the music for Franco's films)

literature

  • Tim Lucas: How to Read a Franco Film. In: Video Watchdog n.1.1990 .
  • Lucas Balbo, Peter Blumenstock, Christian Keßler , Tim Lucas, Graf Haufen : Obsession - The Films of Jess Franco. 1993, ISBN 3-929234-05-X .
  • Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs: Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956–1984. 1994. The book devotes a separate chapter to Franco.
  • Alain Petit: Manacoa Files (1994-1999, French).
  • Andreas Bethmann: Jess Franco Chronicles. Medien P&W GmbH, 1999, ISBN 3-931608-26-3 .
  • Marcus Stiglegger: Sadiconazista. Fascism and Sexuality in Film. Gardez! Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-89796-009-5 .
  • Jess Franco: Memorias del tío Jess. 2004, autobiography (Spanish).
  • Stéphane du Mesnilot, Jess Franco - Énergies du fantasme. 2004 (French).
  • Benedikt Eppenberger: Girls, Machos and Monet. The incredible story of the Swiss cinema entrepreneur Erwin C. Dietrich. With a foreword by Jess Franco. Msw Medien Service Wuppertal, 2006, ISBN 3-033-00960-3 .
  • Marcus Stiglegger: Sadiconazista - Stereotyping the Holocaust in the exploitation cinema. At ikonenmagazin.de .
  • Carlos Aguilar: The Terrible Dr. Orloff. In: Ursula Vossen (ed.): Film genres. Horror movie. Reclam, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-15-018406-1 , pp. 162-167.

publication

  • Benedikt Eppenberger, Daniel Stapfer: Girls, Machos and Monets. The incredible story of the Swiss cinema entrepreneur Erwin C. Dietrich. With a foreword by Jess Franco. Verlag Scharfe Stiefel, 2006.
  • Daniel Bastié, Jess Franco: L'homme aux 200 films , Ed. Grand Angle, 2014 ( French )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leo Phelix, Rolf Thissen: Pioneers and Celebrities of Modern Sex Films , p. 40
  2. ^ Benedikt Eppenberger, Daniel Stapfer: Mädchen, Machos und Moneten , Verlag Scharfe Stiefel, p. 102
  3. ↑ Christoph Twickel: To the death of Jess Franco: Der Schmuddelgott. Der Spiegel , April 2, 2013, accessed April 2, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Franco, Jess
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Franco Manera, Jesus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish director, screenwriter, filmmaker and actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Madrid
DATE OF DEATH 2nd April 2013
Place of death Málaga