La Tercera Vía del cine español

During the seventies a whole series of political, economic, social and cultural changes took place that had their turning point at the end of the Franco dictatorship. The Third Way is the mirror where many of these transitions can be read. Promoted by the producer José Luis Dibildos, it was a film trend that opted for comedies halfway between commercial cinema and auteur cinema that included a slight critical perspective. As Ágata Films is the production company that used this label for its works, the role of directors such as Roberto Bodegas (Españolas en París, 1971; Vida conyugal sana, 1974; Los nuevos españoles, 1974) or Antonio Drove (Tocata y fuga de Lolita, 1974; Mi mujer es muy decente dentro de lo que cabe, 1975) and actors such as José Sacristán or María Luisa San José. Outside this circle, other filmmakers such as José Luis Garci, José Luis García Sánchez, Jaime de Armiñán or Manuel Summers developed similar films, although none of them qualified them as Third Way. A vision of the Spanish reality from the Seventh Art that combined quality and commerciality, and that knew how to anticipate the political consensus that the country demanded after Franco's death.