ARMIÑÁN, JAIME DE

(1927- )

Jaime de Armiñán was already an established playwright and film and TV writer when he directed his first film, the trite comedyCarola de día, Carola de noche(Carola by Day, Carola by Night, 1969) starring ex-child starMarisol. ButMi querida señorita(My Dearest Miss, 1971), a strange story about a man who is brought up as a woman and only finds out the truth late in life was a revelation and showed his skill with actors and a sensitivity for dealing with controversial topics. It was produced byJosé Luis Borau, and brought his first Oscar nomination.Two more films in a similar vein followed.El amor del capitán Brando(Captain Brando's Love, 1974), a huge box-office hit at the end of the Franco dictatorship, was a cross-generational love story about a 12-year-boy who falls in love with his teacher, played byAna Belén. A reverse version of the same topic of infatuation between a grown-up and a teenager was featured inEl nido(The Nest, 1980), about an old professor played byHéctor Alteriofalling in love withAnaTorrent's young girl. The intense lyricism and lack of prejudice Armiñán projected into the story made this his best film, and earned him another nomination for an Academy Award as best foreign film.

The rest of Armiñán's career includes a few remarkable titles likeEn septiembre(In September, 1982), which follows a group of friends on a camping weekend;Mi general(My General, 1987), a satiric view of the Spanish Army's efforts to come to grips with NATO; a sensitive adaptation of Eduardo Mendicutti's coming-of-age novelEl palomo cojo(The Lame Pigeon, 1995), starringCarmen Maura, and the elegantAl otro lado del túnel(The Other Side of the Tunnel, 1994).