ESCAMILLA, TEO

(1940-1997)

Teo Escamilla was one of the most imaginative and versatile cinematographers in Spanish cinema, a key presence in the most importantNuevo cine españolfilms of the late 1960s. In particular, he was responsible for the visual compositions and lighting of mostCarlos Saurafilms in the 1970s and 1980s. In his work, light and mood reflected (and emanate from) character and plot. He studied cinematography at theInstituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas, and had a long training as camera operator, often withLuis Cuadradoas main cinematographer, producing an extraordinary series of films that constitute a canon of late-Francoist Spanish filmmaking includingNueve cartas a Berta(Nine Letters to Berta,Basilio Martin Patino, 1966),La caza(The Hunt, Carlos Saura, 1965),Las secretas intenciones(Secret Intentions,Antxón Eceiza, 1970),El espíritu de la colmena(The Spirit of the Beehive,Victor Erice, 1973),Habla mudita(Speak, Mute Girl,Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, 1973), andFurtivos(Poachers,José Luis Borau, 1975).

WithLa caza, he started a long collaboration with Saura, which consolidated in the Transition years, when Escamilla had already become cinematographer, and would range from the cavernous domestic atmospheres ofCría Cuervos(Raise Ravens) in 1975 to the colorful stage-like illusions ofEl amor brujo(Love the Magician) in 1986.Other Saura collaborations includeElisa, vida mía(Elisa, My Life, 1977), with its unforgettably barren, almost monochrome landscapes;Mamá cumple cien años(Mom Is One Hundred, 1979);Deprisa, deprisa(Faster, Faster, 1981), a shift in style to a more realistic treatment of urban background inspired innouvelle vaguemodels; the harsh interior lighting inBodas de sangre(Blood Wedding, 1981); andCarmen(1983) andLa noche oscura(Dark Night, 1989), in which he explored the palette of Spanish classical painting, particularly José de Ribera. In each of these films he used a specific approach to lighting, from the harsh, realistic documentary look ofDeprisa deprisato the evocative and fantastic atmospheres ofCarmen, echoing the confusion between imagination and reality in the film; from the flat lighting ofBodas de sangreto the chiaroscuro ofLa noche oscura.

Teo Escamilla's work is also emblematic of the mood of a group of relevant films of the early Transition years, likeA un dios desconocido(To an Unknown God,Jaime Chávarri, 1977),Sonámbulos(Sleepwalkers, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, 1977), andEl corazón del bosque(In the Heart of the Forest, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, 1979). The nostalgia and melancholy in these films is matched by gray atmospheres, flooded with dull reflected light.

He won theGoyaforEl amor brujo, with further nominations forEl dorado(Carlos Saura, 1988),La noche oscura, andBerlín Blues. He also worked as a director in a segment ofCuentos para una escapada(Tales For an Escapade, 1981) and the excellentbullfightingdocumentaryTú solo(On Your Own, 1984). Other remarkable work as cinematographer includes:Tata mía(My Granny, José Luis Borau, 1986),Mi general(My General,Jaime de Armiñán, 1987),Al otro lado del túnel(The Other End of the Tunnel, Jaime de Armiñán, 1994),El rey del río(King of the River, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, 1995), andCosas que dejé en la Habana(Things I left in Havana, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, 1997).