“Make good films, like you make cheese, and you will sell them” (p. 135) are the words of Carla Hills, the American negotiator in 1993 for the U.S. Trade Representative in the GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, referring to Spanish cinema.
This quote alone makes it worthwhile to read Enrique Gonzalez Macho’s biography, a perspective that documents the history of Spanish cinema from the Franco regime to the present day. And I say documented history because Macho’s biographical episodes run parallel to the history of Spanish cinema over several decades.
Macho’s point of view, always subjective but forceful, is essential for understanding the problems we have been facing for decades, as well as providing a clear and simple explanation for many questions that unconsciously lingered in our minds but we never decided to ask.
The book opens up a debate on topics that are of great interest to us, such as:
The political polarization that divides Spain and influences the film market
The economic control exercised by the US over our industry, for better or worse
The true importance of film distribution and exhibition within the industry and where the difficulties in getting a project off the ground come from
Other topics that I prefer not to comment on so that you can read the book directly.Thank you, Enrique and Begoña, for opening up a much-needed debate.
