Juan Antonio Bardem (1922-2002)

This year 2022 marks the centenary of the birth of Juan Antonio Bardem, one of the most outstanding Spanish filmmakers of the entire 20th century. Given the neglect with which the institutions seem to be treating this event, we present here an informative biography of his life and his work. In the text we analyze his training as a filmmaker after being born into a family of actors, his first collaborations with Luis García Berlanga, his great works censored by the Francoist authorities (Death of a Cyclist, Calle Mayor, La Vengeance), his committed Communist status (which led him to be imprisoned on more than one occasion), the decline and discreet resurgence during the transition and his unfortunate final stage, when his career as a filmmaker was only recognized by awarding him the Goya of Honor at the gala of 2002, just the year of his death.