Los Tarantos
“Romeo and Juliet” in the world of gypsies: dance, music, and passion in a Barcelona like you’ve never seen before.
Juana and Rafael live on the outskirts of Barcelona and are in love, paying little attention to the conflict between their two rival families: the Tarantos and the Zorongos.
Rovira-Beleta, who had recently established himself with major film noirs, founded his own production company to make this film, which surprised everyone. With roots in cinema verité and even Italian neorealism, he innovatively linked these to musical cinema to create a great tragedy in which the artists Carmen Amaya and Antonio Gades shine. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1964, competing with Fellini’s “8½”.
“Los Tarantos” discovered an unknown Barcelona, that of the slums of the underprivileged classes, at a time when Franco’s regime wanted to project an image of openness and development.
Flamenco, singing, dancing and passion become the narrative as the story of Romeo and Juliet (or Lorca’s “Blood Wedding”) is transposed into the world of the gypsies with the protagonists of this unforgettable film drawing the viewer in from the outset and attesting to the creative force of the region.
Javier Garcia Puerto
Francesc Rovira Beleta (1912-1999) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director who was nominated for two Academy Awards. He originally studied law at the University of Barcelona after which he devoted his career to filmmaking. He began by directing short films and documentaries. Among his most notable works is “Los Tarantos” (1963), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. His “Los atracadores” (1962) was nominated for the Golden Bear in Berlinale. Another landmark film was “El amor brujo” (1967), also nominated for the Academy Award in the same category, further cementing his reputation in Spanish and Catalan cinema. Throughout his career, his films participated in major international festivals, and he received a number of national honours, including the Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Gold Medal of the Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences of Spain. He remains a significant figure in mid-20th-century Spanish filmmaking.
Filmography:
(Valik/Selected): Luna de sangre (1952), Hay un camino a la derecho (There's a Road on the Right, 1953), El expreso de Andalucía (Express Train from Andalucía, 1956), Los Tarantos (1963), La dama del alba (The Lady of the Dawn, 1969), La espada Negra (The Black Sword, 1976)
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