Here are the first translations of the previous blog's Jess Franco interview courtesy of our valued contributors Tim Lucas, Francesco Cesari and Doug Waltz. And there may be more on the way... It's always interesting to get multiple perspectives.
Many thanks, guys!
[From Tim Lucas]
A rough translation but better than nothing:
When Quentin Tarantino visited our country to present Kill Bill, Vol. 2, he regretted not being able to enjoy the boundless liberties of a filmmaker such as Jesus Franco and confessed that it would please him to someday shoot "a movie full of naked girls" like the ones that run rampant through the huge filmography of this auteur of Grade Z sub-genre movies. "The only liberty it takes to do anything I have done is a set of balls," retorted Jesus Franco during a recent visit to Madrid - "a city that has always seemed to me 50% Detroit, and 50% lower Villaconejos" - to participate in one of the roundtables planned in the celebration of the scene.
The cinemateca of the Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao has also yielded recent tribute to Jesus Franco, rescuing his second short film Pious Baroja (1958) and dedicate to him a retrospective that will be prolonged over the next sixteen days. "You invent your own liberties yourself, though half the country strikes back," continues Franco, "but I have not yet thrown in the towel. Right now I consider three movies to premiere that they are cojonudas. Understand me, with all the limitations that be wanted, but my work has evolved and become purer, more Bressonian". Snakewoman, La muñeca y una para todas, shot on digital video, are the latest releases of a career that is about to reach 200 titles.
With the impetus of an authentic movie-manifesto, his first feature film, We Are 18 years old, opened in 1959 a window of eccentricity in the Spanish movies of the epoch: the mixing of genres and the influence of the popular culture sat down the bases of a speech that would reduce ad absurdam a good number of alien mythologies and archetypes. "Always I have considered myself a jazz musician who makes movies rather than a filmmaker", affirms Franco. He was right-hand man of Orson Welles during the filming of Chimes at midnight (1965) and from Welles he learned to remove party to all kinds of limitations, he fascinated Pedro Portabella in the starts of the School of Barcelona -from there he made Vampir Cuadecuc (1979), trial filmed during the filming of The count Dracula (1969), of Franco- and now there is the attention of José Luis Garcia Sánchez who, after offering him a role in a future film project to adapt the grotesques of Valley-Inclán, will prepare a documentary about his star that already has collected 180 hours of material in the can. It impelled in finding a form for that documentary one that be so little educator as the Franco himself, Garcia Sánchez announces his intention of structuring the movie in the fragmentary and sensationalistic manner of the program Aqui hay tomate, in which the director detects the distant echoes of the unorthodox film-trap of F For Fake (1974). Franco and Garcia Sánchez are also collaborating on on a future edition of a complete and annotated filmography for the Fundacion Autor.
The film work of Jesus Franco has a good number of critics that are used to considering it as the quintessence of dandruff movies: poor, rough and redundant. The visual harshness of a good part of this work seems to give them good reason, but only in appearance. Set against them, an increasingly more abundant cultured one franquiano international studies in great detail its works, traveled through by a libertarian and iconoclastic spirit that seems to owe him so much al Marquis of Sade as al Manuel Vázquez of the cartoons of Bruguera. The seal of American DVD Blue Underground has just launched al market a care edition of the diptych comprising the movies Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me Monster (1969). In Spain, Manga Films published recently in DVD some of its movies carried out between ends of the seventy and principles of the eighty: Opalo de fuego (1978), Sinfonia Erotica, El Sadico de Notre Dame, Las Chicas de Copacabana (all of 1979) and El Sexo esta Loco (1981).
Names such as those of Romina Power, Janine Reynaud, Ajita Wilson, Monica Swinn and, very especially, Soledad Miranda and Lina Romay (his two great muses) accredit their fame of sex-addicted: "My good eye for the actresses has been always instinctive. When in my movies there is a woman that is a vegetable, it's because the producers imposed her on me. I have always liked my actresses and to create an aura of mystery around them", confesses Franco. The actresses Fata Morgana and Carmen Mount are the last discoveries of a creator that will continue generating passions and hatreds, but rarely indifference."
Publish (Tim Lucas) 1:55 PM
[Francesco Cesari adds]
"Cinema is going to disappear in a moment, even if the show will continue. The cinema of the theaters, with lights down, opening curtains and the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo, has its day numbered. What the cinema of today lacks are independent producers like Mark Hellinger, who made classics like Robert Siodmak's Forajidos (1946), Jules Dassin's BRUTE FORCE (1947) and THE NAKED CITY (1948), one per year. He was the author. As a producer he succeeded in printing his signature over all these works."
The recent Franco projects are moving far from the narrative model of genre cinema: "I think that it was Godard who was right, he who, in my opinion, is the key-factor of modern cinema. The classic storyline cannot be used any more."
[From Doug Waltz]
Okay, here's the translation courtesy of BabelFish:
"the cinema is going to disappear" When Quentin Tarantino visited our country to present/display Kill Bill, Vol. 2 was lamented of not being able to enjoy the freedom without limits of a film director as Frank Jesus and confessed that it would enchant to him to be able to someday roll "a full film of naked girls" like whom the enormous filmografía of this estajanovista of series Z and the cinema of subgenera are accumulated in. "the freedom to be able to do all that me I have taken it by cojones", talks back Frank Jesus during its recent visit to Madrid -"una city that always has seemed me 50 % Detroit, 50 % Villaconejos de Abajo" - to participate in one of the programmed round tables in the celebration of the moved one.
ESSENTIAL TITLES the news in others webs webs in Spanish in other Blogs languages that connect here the film library of the Museum of Beautiful Arts of Bilbao also has rendered recent tribute to Frank Jesus, when rescuing its film Guipuzcoan Stamps number 2: Pío Baroja (1958) and to dedicate a cycle to him that will extend until next day 16. "the freedom always you invent you you yourself, pegándote with average country", continues Franc, "and I have still not thrown the towel. Right now I have three films to release that they are cojonudas. Entiéndame, with all the limitations that are wanted, but my speech has evolved and it has become purer, bressoniano ". Rolled in digital video, Snakewoman, the wrist and One for all are the last deliveries of a race that is on the verge of reaching the 200 titles.
With the authentic impetus of a film-manifest one, its first largometraje, We are 18 years old, opened in 1959 a window of eccentricity in the Spanish cinema of the time: the crossing of sorts and the influence of the popular culture laid the the foundations of a speech that would reduce to absurd a good number of other people's mythologies and archetypes. "I have always considered a jazz musician that makes films before a film director", affirms Franc. (1965) were man of confidence of Orson Welles during the running of Campanadas to midnight and of him it learned to remove party to all type from limitations, fascinated to Pere Portabella in the beginnings of the School of Barcelona - it left Vampir Cuadecuc there (1979), test filmed during the running of count Drácula (1969), of Franc and now it has abduced the attention of Jose Luis Garci'a Sanchez who, after offering a paper to him in their future cinematographic project to adapt the Valle-Incla'n absurdities, prepares a documentary one on their figure of which already she has been to collections 180 hours of material. Pawned on finding a form for that documentary one that is so little academic as the own Franc, Garci'a Sanchez announces their intention to structure the film under the inspiration of the assembly sensationalist and fragmentary of the program there is tomato Here, in which the director detects the distant echoes of the heterodox film-trap of Orson Welles Fraud (1974). Franco and the Garci'as Sanchez also work in the future edition on the part of the Foundation Author of a complete and commented filmografía of first.
"the cinema is going to disappear from a little while to another one", foretells Franc, "although the spectacle is going to continue. The one of the room of cinema with the lights extinguished, the curtain that is opened and logotipo of the Goldwyn Meter Mayer is counted. What him lack to the today cinema is producing independent of the caliber of Mark Hellinger, that made classic like Forajidos (1946), of Robert Siodmak; Brute Force (1947) and the city undresses (1948), of Jules Dassin in three years consecutive. The author was he. As producing he was able to print his seal to all those works ". Yet, the recent projects of Franc have been separated from the narrative model of the sort cinema: "I am convinced that who took the reason it was Godard, that, for me, it is the señero element of the modern cinema. The classic story cannot be stretched more ". The cinematographic work of Frank Jesus has a good number of detractors that usually consider it like the quintessence of the casposo cinema: poor man, coarse and reiterativo. The visual harshness of good part of its works seems to give the reason them, but only in appearance. In front of them, more and more nourished cultured international franquiano it meticulously studies his works, crossed by a libertario spirit and iconoclasta that seems to as much have to Marquess de Sade like a the Manuel to him Vázquez of the tebeos of Bruguera. The North American seal of DVD Blue Underground finishes sending to the market a well-taken care of edition of the díptico integrated by the films the case of the two beauties and Bésame, monster (1969). In Spain, Sleeve Films recently published in DVD some of its films made between end of the seventy and principles of the eighty: Opal of fire (1978), erótica Symphony, the sadist of Notre-Dame, the girls of Copacabana (all of 1979) and sex is crazy (1981). Names like those of Romina Power, Janine Reynaud, Ajita Wilson, Monica Swinn and, very specially, Solitude Miranda and Lina Romay (its two great musas) credit their fame of erotómano: "My good eye for the actresses has been always instinctive. When in my films there is a woman who is a plant, has been because me the producers have imposed it. I have always liked to portray them and to create I pull ahead of mystery around them ", confesses Franc. The actresses Fata Morgana and Carmen Montes are the last discoveries of a creator who will continue generating passions and hatreds, but rare time indiferencia."Siempre I have considered a jazz musician that does películas""Mi good eye for the actresses has been always something instinctive..."
