Eloy de la Iglesia

Part of his work is closely related to the phenomenon popularly known in Spain as quinqui films, to which he contributed several works. De la Iglesia took risks in his films that captured the struggles of the underclass, portraying the everyday, unidealized lives of powerless characters portrayed genuinely with flaws and vices. They are an example of commitment to the immediate reality, going against the conformist outlook of most movies of its time. Beyond their debatable aesthetic merits, his film served as a document of the Spanish marginality of the late seventies and early eighties, and they have the stamp of his strong personality.

• Name — Eloy de la Iglesia • Birth Name — Eloy Germán de la Iglesia Diéguez • Born — 1 January 1944 • Birthplace — Zarautz, Spain • Died — 23 March 2006 • Place of death — Madrid, Spain • Occupation — Filmmaker • Years Active — 1966–2003

Born in Zarauz, Guipúzcoa into a wealthy Basque family, he grew up in Madrid. His desire to follow a career in filmmaking initially was thwarted. He attended courses at the prestigious Parisian Institut des hautes études cinématographiques, but he could not enter Spain's national film school because he wasn't yet 21, the minimum age required for admission. Instead, he began to study philosophy and literature at the Complutense University of Madrid, but he abandoned it to direct children's theater. By age 20, he had written and directed many works for television sharpening his narrative skills. He established himself as a writer of children's television programs for Radiotelevisíon Española in Barcelona. De la Iglesia made his debut as film director when he was age 22 with Fantasia 3 (Fantasy 3, 1966), adapting three children's stories: The Maid of the Sea, The three hairs from the devil and The Wizard of Oz. While doing mandatory military service, he wrote the script of his second film, Algo Amargo en la Boca (Something Bitter Tasting, 1968). Algo Amargo en la Boca, a sordid melodrama, and Cuadrilatero (Boxing Ring, 1969), a boxing story, faced problems with the Francoist censors and failed at the box office. His films did not attract widespread notice until his fourth effort, the critically acclaimed thriller El Techo de Cristal (The Glass Ceiling, 1970). During the early 1970s, De la Iglesia was a member of the Spanish Communist Party; his films of this period reflected his beliefs and often centered on violent forms of social protest. His political leanings and the lurid subjects of his film made him a controversial filmmaker facing many problems with the Spanish censor under Francisco Franco's régime. He approached the horror genre in his two following films: La semana del asesino (The Cannibal Man, 1971) and Nadie oyó gritar (No One Heard the Scream, 1972), leaving stylistic and structural academicism aside. He defined a sharp style, torn and impressionistic. His film Una gota de sangre para seguir amando (Murder in a Blue World, 1973), written with José Luis Garci, a mixed of futuristic thriller, took some cues from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

Like many of the young protagonists of his films, De la Iglesia became addicted to drugs such as heroin, and he stopped making films for 15 years. Claiming that his addiction to cinema was stronger than his drug problems, De la Iglesia eventually kicked his habit and resumed his career making Los novios bulgaros (The Bulgarian Lovers, 2003), a film based on the novel of the same title written by Eduardo Mendicutti. Stricken with kidney cancer, he died on 23 March 2006, age 62, after surgery to remove a malignant tumor. He was cremated at Cementerio de la Almudena.

• Year — English title — Original title — Notes • 1966 — Fantasy 3 — Fantasía 3 — Made of three episodes: The Maid of the Sea, The Three Hairs from the Devil and The Wizard of Oz • 1969 — Something Bitter Tasting — Algo amargo en la boca • 1970 — Boxing Ring — Cuadrilátero • 1971 — The Glass Ceiling — El techo de cristal • 1972 — The Cannibal Man — La semana del asesino • 1973 — No One Heard the Scream — Nadie oyó gritar • 1973 — Murder in a Blue World — Una gota de sangre para morir amando • 1975 — Game of Forbidden Love — Juego de amor prohibido • 1976 — The Other Bedroom — La otra alcoba • 1977 — The Creature — La criatura — Original Script • 1977 — Hidden Pleasures — Los placeres ocultos • 1979 — Confessions of a Congressman — El diputado • 1979 — The Priest — El Sacerdote • 1980 — Fear to go out at Night — Miedo a salir de noche • 1981 — The Minister’s Wife — La mujer del ministro • 1981 — Knifers — Navajeros • 1982 — Pals — Colegas • 1983 — The Needle — El pico • 1984 — The Needle 2 — El pico 2 • 1985 — The Turn of the Screw — Otra vuelta de tuerca — based on Henry James's novel The Turn of the Screw • 1987 — Hostages in the Barrio — La estanquera de Vallecas — based on a play by José Luis Alonso de Santos • 2003 — Bulgarian Lovers — Los novios búlgaros — based on a novel by Eduardo Mendicutti

Eloy de la Iglesia is recorded as screenwriter and film director.