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Pedro Almodovar
Legendary Spanish director Almodóvar first made his name in '80s Madrid during the "Movida" punk movement that rebelled against years of Franco's dictatorship. A writer, musician and theatre actor, his first love has always been filmmaking.
From his debut feature Pepi, Luci, Bom to Broken Embraces, Almodóvar has shaped an international reputation with his unique style that has earned him two Oscars to date.
Pedro Almodóvar was achieved his dream of making films aged 16, when he moved to Madrid to study and carve out a career in the film industry. For years he worked at various jobs and saved enough money to buy a Super 8.
At that time, Almodóvar alternated his directing with other artistic activities: writer (comic scripts, underground newspapers and magazines, novels), theatrical actor (he was part of the group The Goliardos, where he met Carmen Maura), and even musician (created a punk-glam-rock group with McNamara).
Pedro even wrote to order for a photo magazine, The Viper, which would later serve as the basis for his first feature film: Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980). Despite its very limited budget, the innovative style of the film caused a sensation and it soon gained cult status.
Two years later came Labyrinth of Passion, which was very well received by the public and became a landmark of Spanish cinema. With his third film, Matador, Almódovar began to make himself known abroad. But it was the comedy Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1987) which gave him the ultimate fame: in addition to beating box office records worldwide for a Spanish film, he received several national and international awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
His big moment was yet to come. In 1999, All About My Mother became an even bigger hit than Women on the Verge... and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Then, in 2002, Talk To Her earned a number of international awards and another Oscar, this time for Best Original Screenplay and a main category nomination for Best Director.
Almodóvar's filmography also includes What Have I Done To Deserve This? (1984), The Law Of Desire (1986), Kika (1993), The Flower Of My Secret (1995), Live Flesh (1997) and Bad Education (2004).
Volver (2006) saw return of his 80s muse Carmen Maura, joining forces with the spectacular Penelope Cruz, Lola Duenas, and Blanca Portillo. Although it was not nominated at the Oscars, it won five Goyas for Best Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actress ( Penelope Cruz), Best Supporting Actress ( Carmen Maura) and Best Original Music (Alberto Iglesias).
Broken Embraces (2009) saw Cruz continue her role as Almodóvar's noughties muse and this film led to him being compared to Alfred Hitchcock. His latest film, The Skin I Live In (2011) finally sees the director working with Antonio Banderas for the first time in nearly three decades.
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Filmography
Pedro Almodovar - news / articles
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Almodovar honoured in New York -
16 November 2011
-Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has been feted by officials at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of a star-studded gala.-The Volver director was the guest of honour at the fourth annual MoMA Film Benefit on Tuesday night (15Nov11), when celebrities includin
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Almodovar makes peace with Spanish film academy -
8 April 2011
-Celebrated director Pedro Almodovar has returned to the panel of judges at his native Spain's national film academy, six years after he quit.-The Volver filmmaker and his brother, producer Agustin, both left the institution in 2005 following a dispute with academy offic
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Almodovar snubs muse Cruz for new movie -
7 May 2010
-Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has shunned his muse Penelope Cruz for his first foray into horror - because he couldn't envision the Spanish beauty in the project.-
-The director has cast Antonio Banderas in his provisionally titled The Skin I Live In, which will be adapted
Pedro Almodovar - what members say
review by Stevieb47 from poole
Fabulous 12 June 2005
review by from Oxford, England
Excellent, and typical Almodovar. 16 June 2004
review by wikkidsmyle from Newmarket
Excellent introduction to Almodovar 20 August 2008
Pedro Almodovar - filmography
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The Skin I Live In - Blu-ray
(2011)
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya
Director: Pedro Almodóvar, Pedro Almodovar
Certificate: 
Pedro Almodovar's finds him joining forces with Antonio Banderas for the first time in over 20 years, in an adaptation of author Thierry Jonquets dark 1995 novel MYGALE. In THE SKIN I LIVE IN Banderas plays Dr. Robert Ledgard, a plastic surgeon who has invented a type of fake skin that is more ..read more »
 
77%
from 94 members
Not available for rental
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The Skin I Live In
on DVD
(2011)
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya
Director: Pedro Almodóvar, Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he manages to cultivate a skin that is a real shield against every assault. In ..read more »
69%
from 7,472 members
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Broken Embraces - Blu-ray
(2009)
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, Lluis Homar
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate: 
Watch now: Unavailable
After LIVE FLESH, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, and VOLVER, director Pedro Almodovar and his muse Penelope Cruz unite for a fourth time with this drama. Here, Almodovar delves into noir style to tell a tale of a man (BAD EDUCATION's Lluis Homar) with dual identities who tries to compartmentalize his life ..read more »
69%
from 1,992 member
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Broken Embraces
on DVD
(2009)
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, Lluis Homar
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
Watch now: Unavailable
After LIVE FLESH, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, and VOLVER, director Pedro Almodovar and his muse Penelope Cruz unite for a fourth time with this drama. Here, Almodovar delves into noir style to tell a tale of a man (BAD EDUCATION'S Lluis Homar) with dual identities who tries to compartmentalize his life ..read more »
69%
from 11,671 members
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Volver
on DVD
(2006)
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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Following the passing away of their mother in a fire, Raimunda (Penelope Cruz, VANILLA SKY) and Sole (Lola Duenas, TALK TO HER), leave their home town of La Mancha to live in Madrid. Raimunda lives with her daughter and unsupportive husband, taking on menial jobs, while Sole works in secret as a ..read more »
72%
from 44,187 members
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Bad Education
on DVD
(2004)
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez, Daniel Gimenez Cacho
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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A young man, Enrique (played by Fele Martinez) is working as a film director. He is visited by a childhood friend Ignacio Rodriguez (played by Gael Garcia Bernal), who is looking for work. Before he leaves Ignacio gives Enrique a book that he has written called 'The Visit'. The story centres around ..read more »
67%
from 22,445 members
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Talk To Her
on DVD
(2002)
Starring: Rosario Flores, Elena Anaya, Geraldine Chaplin
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
Following the success of his 1999 film, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar presents TALK TO HER. Driven by similar themes of fate, destiny, magic, and chance happenings, TALK TO HER is the tale of two men whose lives intertwine unpredictably. Benigno (Javier Camara) is a ..read more »
72%
from 18,229 members
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All About My Mother
on DVD
(1999)
Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Pena
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
A birthday treat for single mother Manuela turns to disaster when her teenage son is killed in a car crash. Consumed by grief she goes to Barcelona to tell his father about the son he never knew he had, but he is a transvestite dying from an AIDS related illness... Spanish dialogue with English ..read more »
72%
from 22,090 members
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Live Flesh
on DVD
(1997)
Starring: Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
Victor, a young man from humble beginnings, falls in love with the daughter of a diplomat, with whom he shares his first sexual experience. Events become confused when Victor tries to see her again. Spanish dialogue with English subtitles.
66%
from 8,261 members
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Flower Of My Secret
on DVD
(1995)
Starring: Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove, Carmen Elias
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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A woman who lives a double life finds that being a successful romantic novelist does not necessarily bring happiness. Her husband does not love her, her best friend seems distracted and her mother and sister are too busy bickering to notice that anything is wrong. She stops writing and finds solace ..read more »
68%
from 3,538 members
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Kika
on DVD
(1993)
Starring: Veronica Forque, Peter Coyote, Victoria Abril
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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Black comedy from Pedro Almodovar about a make-up artist and her relationship with a philandering American writer living in Madrid. Features the usual roster of Almodovar comic stalwarts such as a rapist-thief, a narcoleptic son, a roving camerawoman voyeur, a lesbian housemaid and various ..read more »
62%
from 2,949 members
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High Heels
on DVD
(1991)
Starring: Feodor Atkine, Marisa Parades, Victoria Abril
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most notorious and celebrated directors of international film who single-handedly ushered in a new wave of Spanish film. Mixing up a cocktail of strong characters, weird sex, odd violence, perverse humour, bizarre plot twists, with elements of classic melodrama and ..read more »
67%
from 1,206 member
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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
on DVD
(1990)
Starring: Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Francisco Rabal
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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I'll never love you . . . ever! the sexy and attractive Marina (Victoria Abril) states emphatically to the love-struck Ricky (Antonio Banderas). You know she means what she says because when she makes this statement she is handcuffed and lashed to a bed, not exactly the proper way to warm anyone up ..read more »
64%
from 7,951 members
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Law Of Desire
on DVD
(1987)
Starring: Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
Law Of Desire (1987):
At its core 'Law Of Desire' features a fabulous trio: the famous Madrid director Pablo (Poncela) for whom men are prepared to die, his new love-crazed boyfriend Antonio (Banderas) and Pablo's flamboyant and gorgeous transsexual sister Tina.
Pablo is suffering because Juan, ..read more »
62%
from 3,248 members
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Matador
on DVD
(1986)
Starring: Assumpta Serna, Antonio Banderas, Carmen Maura
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Certificate:
This twisted, brave, funny film from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar takes an unflinching look at the link between sex, death, and religion. Antonio Banderas stars as Angel, a sensitive student of matador Diego (Nacho Martinez), whose goring at the horns of a bull has left him obsessed with ..read more »
62%
from 4,611 members
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Labyrinth of Passion
on DVD
(1982)
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Cecilia Roth, Imanol Arias
Director: Pedro Almodovar
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In Labyrinth of Passion, Celia Roth portrays Sexi, a nymphomaniac punk rocker whose gynecologist father (Fernando Vivanco) specializes in artificial insemination. Spanish heartthrob Imanol Arias is Riza Niro, the gay son of the Emperor of Tehran, who has fled his father's island to have some fun in ..read more »
56%
from 1,320 member
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Pedro Almodovar facts
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...Become a major fan of the work of Pedro Almodovar of late and this is one his best....an everyday story of trans-sexual hookers,heroin addicted lesbian actresses and pregnant ...
