Félix Rotaeta Movies
Best known as an actor, Félix Rotaeta also directed a handful of Spanish films. In college, Rotaeta majored in journalism and dramatic art. He started performing and producing theatrical productions with the "Los Goliardos" theater group in 1965. He entered films in 1973, and went on to become a prolific character actor. Over his career, Rotaeta has worked with nearly all the major directors in Spanish cinema. A talented writer of fiction and drama, Rotaeta based the screenplay of his directorial debut Placer de Matar/The Pleasure of Killing (1987) on his novel Las Pistolas/The Guns. In 1980, Rotaeta executive produced Pedro Almodóvar's sophomore film, Pepi, Luci, Bom y Otras Chicas del Montón (1980). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1994
There are many minor occupations in the bullfighting profession aside from the one most people focus on. In this black comedy, Justino (Saturnino Garcia) is a sixty-two year old retired puntillero who lives a carefree life, hanging out at the local bar with his cronies while living with his married son. As a puntillero, his responsibility was to deliver the death-killing blow to bulls in the bullring if the matador failed to do so. One day his son and daughter-in-law irritate him for some reason and he finishes them off the same way and then stores their bodies in the apartment's freezer. After that, just about anyone who irritates him in any way is likely to die, from the policemen who didn't believe him when he confessed to them about killing his son, to a whole houseful of elderly people in an old-age home. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saturnino Garcia
- 1987
Director Felix Rotaeta adapted the screenplay of Placer de Matar from own novel. Victoria Abril, who was incredibly busy when the film was made in 1987, plays the leading role (she wasn't exactly the heroine), while Berta Riaza costars as her mother. It's a thriller with plot twists aplenty; to give away too much would be to spoil the surprises. Here's a hint: the film's English-language title is The Pleasure of Killing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Mathieu Carrière, (more)
- 1986
After their wealthy fascist father dies, Ana and her sister Laura have the job of settling his estate. The two sisters have not seen one another for some time and imagine they have nothing in common. Ana stayed at home and married a pretty ordinary middle-class man, Laura moved to Paris and lives a far more glamorous life. Complicating their difficult task is the fact that it is taking place during Holy Week, and all sorts of processions and ceremonies are taking place in the streets around them, and ordinary commercial life is at a standstill. The tension between the two women eases somewhat as they come to grips with their common past and, along with their father, bury some of the myths that have overshadowed both of them. The director of this film, Rafael Azcona, is known for his penchant for mocking conservative Spain's many sacred cows, and he continues that tradition in this occasionally comic drama. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amparo Rivelles, Amparo Soler Leal, (more)
- 1980
An outrageous comedy that throws viewers into a culture shock. A suggestive satire about women who ignore society's rules. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Maura, Eva Siva, (more)
- 1980
In a gross miscarriage of justice, based on an actual event, two men are falsely accused and convicted of the murder of a missing shepherd from a small Spanish village. A despotic district court judge and a right-wing congressman orchestrate the trial. The two men are subjected to brutal torture by sadistic guards to exact a confession of guilt. The men serve 6 years of a 15-year prison term before they are released, and they later discover their alleged victim is alive and well in a neighboring village. The 15-minute torture scene is harrowing, as is the subsequent passage of the exhuming of human corpses. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amparo Soler Leal, Héctor Alterio, (more)
- 1979
Two wealthy and powerful Catalan families have gathered at the Martis mansion to celebrate the betrothal of their children. The alliance between these aristocratic families is taking place for expedient reasons: romance has no place in the conveniently arranged upcoming marriage, except by convention. Awkward speeches are made by the two families gathered in the house of the bride's family. Meanwhile, the family piano teacher and Fina's future husband have gone off for a little privacy, and they have a sexual interlude. They are interrupted by the boy's father, who sends the teacher away and takes the chastened boy downstairs for the obligatory cheerful photographs. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabel Mestres
- 1978
Deeply layered with much symbolic and allegorical material, the generally non-narrative events in this film revolve around Ana (Ana Belen) a girl who has been diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer. In one scene, she is injured in a Madrid Public library when a police horse crashes through a plate glass window. The police have just been violently dealing with protestors who are objecting to the state's handling of the trials of six men accused of involvement in the death of a policeman. In another scene, a man claims he can cure her of cancer, but she must turn her mind over to him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Belén, Norman Brisky, (more)
- 1977
In this non-narrative film, a salesgirl becomes embroiled in a lengthy discussion with a soldier and a film director. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Kiti Manver, (more)
