Pedro Almodovar Archives

This title presents the complete works of Pedro Almodovar: a personal journey with one of contemporary cinema's the most esteemed film artists, made with Almodovar's collaboration and with full access to his archives. Un film de Almodovar: whether appearing in his stylish opening credits or on the suggestive poster that invariably accompanies each of his films, this announcement triggers a range of expectations. Sexy and subversive, colorful and controversial, passionate and provocative, Pedro Almodovar's world is unlike any other director's. Thanks to his remarkably cohesive and consistent oeuvre, the Manchegan maverick has become a reliable brand, his name a byword for the visual opulence, experimentation and eroticism of post-Franco Spanish cinema. Almodovar found fame with self-penned, gender-bending plots depicting the often comic misfortunes of junkies, nuns, housewives, whores, transvestites and transsexuals. Praised by critics, championed by fellow film-makers, adored by actors and adorned with international awards, he is the most successful Spanish film-maker since Luis Bunuel, with films such as "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", "All About My Mother", "Talk to Her", and "Volver". A self-taught auteur, Almodovar draws on influences as diverse as Douglas Sirk, Frank Tashlin, Andy Warhol and John Waters. His feature films borrow liberally from, and frequently invert, traditional genres of classic American cinema-including film noir, melodrama and screwball comedy. Yet they remain unmistakably Iberian, rooted predominantly in the director's beloved Madrid, exploring Spanish myths and modernity to the rhythms of bolero-laden soundtracks. Most recently, the enfant terrible of the 1980s arthouse scene has matured into the Academy Award-winning director of "All About My Mother", a film universally acknowledged for its emotional resonance, sophistication and craftsmanship. Almodovar's distinctive, once marginalized world has finally entered the mainstream. For this unprecedented monograph, Pedro Almodovar has given TASCHEN complete access to his archives, including never-before-published images, such as personal photos he took during filming. In addition to writing captions for the photos, Almodovar invited prominent Spanish authors to write introductions to each of his films, and selected many of his own texts to accompany this visual odyssey through his complete works.