Almodóvar: A Retrospective

A lavishly illustrated retrospective of Pedro Almodóvar, Spain’s foremost filmmaker, published to coincide with his 75th birthday

Pedro Almodóvar is a master of contemporary cinema. An auteur with an infinite imagination, the creator of unforgettable characters, and promoter of a challenging and captivating cinema, his list of accolades is virtually unmatched.

Almodóvar came to prominence during La Movida Madrileña, a cultural renaissance that followed after the end of Francoist Spain. His first few films characterized the sense of sexual and political freedom of the period. In 1986, he established his own film production company, El Deseo, with his younger brother Agustín Almodóvar, who has been responsible for producing all of his films since Law of Desire. Almodóvar achieved international recognition for his black comedy-drama film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and went on to further success with the dark romantic comedy Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, the melodrama High Heels and the thriller Live Flesh. His subsequent two films, All About My Mother and Talk to Her, each earned him an Academy Award, for Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay respectively. His subsequent films Volver, The Skin I Live In, Julieta and Pain and Glory were all in contention for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His most recent film, The Room Next Door, won the Golden Lion at the 2024 Venice film festival.

Pau Gómez provides unique insight on every one of Almodóvar’s twenty-two major films. Profusely illustrated with unseen archive and behind-the-scenes stills, and featuring many first-person observations, this is an insider’s perspective on Almodóvar’s legendary achievements.

Contents List:

Foreword by Antonio Banderas • Introduction: The Long and Painful Road to Glory • Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom • Labyrinth of Passion • Dark Habits • What Have I Done to Deserve This? • Matador • Law of Desire • Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown • Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! • High Heels • Kika • The Flower of My Secret • Live Flesh • All About My Mother • Talk To Her • Bad Education • Volver • Broken Embraces • The Skin I Live In • I’m So Excited! • Julieta • Pain and Glory • Parallel Mothers • Epilogue: An Artist for the World • Afterword by Cecilia Roth • Filmography • Bibliography

About the Authors:

Pau Gómez has a degree in Journalism and a PhD in Film. He has spent most of his career at Ràdio 9, where he directed and presented specialized cinema programmes. He is the author of ten books on film.