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''Hidden Pleasures'' ( es, Los placeres ocultos) is a
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
, directed by
Eloy de la Iglesia Eloy de la Iglesia (1 January 1944 – 23 March 2006) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. De la Iglesia was an outspoken gay socialist filmmaker who is relatively unknown outside Spain despite a prolific and successful career in his ...
. The script was written by de la Iglesia, Rafael Sánchez Campoy and Gonzalo Goicoechea with the working title ''La acera de enfrente'' ''(literally: The other side of the street, which was used as a pejorative expression for "homosexual")'', considered too daring for its time, the title was changed upon release.Smith, ''Laws of Desire'', p. 137 The film stars
Simón Andreu Simón Andreu Trobat (born 1 January 1941) is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in more than 180 films and television shows since 1961. In 2013 he was awarded with the Nosferatu Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalun ...
,
Charo López María del Rosario López Piñuelas (born 28 October 1943) better known as Charo López, is a Spanish actress. Filmography *Plan Jack cero tres (1967) *El hueso (1967) *La vida sigue igual (1969) *Ditirambo (1969) * El extraño caso del docto ...
and Tony Fuentes. The plot follows a middle-aged, closeted homosexual
banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
from a wealthy family, who falls in love with a much younger heterosexual man. ''Los placeres ocultos'' is notable for being the first extended representation of gay men in
Spanish cinema Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
.Smith, ''Laws of Desire'', p. 129


Plot

Eduardo, a well off bank manager in his forties, is a sophisticated closeted homosexual. He keeps his sexual life a secret, but he uses his social and economic position to win over young men. In one of his regular cruising sessions in the University area, Eduardo meets Miguel, an attractive young man from a humble background and falls in love with him. Then Eduardo starts his usual plan to approach men. Through Nes, a gay man who lives in Miguel's neighborhood, Eduardo finds out Miguel's address and offers him a job in the company run by his friend Raul. Raul and Eduardo had a relationship in the past and Raul is still secretly in love with Eduardo. With the excuse of helping him typing a book, Eduardo takes Miguel to his apartment every afternoon. To gain his friendship, Eduardo buys him a motorcycle. However, Miguel is
heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to ...
. He has a steady girlfriend, Carmen. Miguel is also entangled in a sexual affair with Rosa, an older married neighbor who he visits with excuse of helping her with plumbing problems in her house. When Eduardo tells his fellings to his new friend, Miguel rejects him. Eduardo returns to his solitary life looking for fleeting pleasures with young men in cruising spots: cinemas, parks and public toilets. He rejects the offer of his friend Raul to be involved in the emerging
gay movement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...
. Then, Eduardo's elderly mother becomes terminally ill and in her deathbed, she confesses that she had known he was gay since he was a teenager. She urges him not to be alone. In one of his adventures cruising in the park, Eduardo meets Nes again. Nes and members of his gang go to Eduardo's apartment to rob him and beat him. When Miguel finds out what had happened, he worries about Eduardo and beats Nes in revenge. As a result, Eduardo and Miguel resume their friendship. This time, they accept each other and Eduardo respects that Miguel is straight. Miguel introduces his girlfriend Carmen to Eduardo and the trio establish a close relationship. For Eduardo, the company of the young couple fills the void of a family life and eases his loneliness. The close friendship between Eduardo and the couple formed by Miguel and Carmen is abruptly truncated by Rosa's reappearance. Rosa, angry because she was jilted by Miguel, maliciously begin to spread rumors that Miguel is gay. She talks to Carmen's father and, as a consequence, he forbids his daughter to see Miguel again. Miguel becomes very upset with the loss of his girlfriend, blaming his closeness to Eduardo for it. Hurt and enraged, Miguel goes to the bank where Eduardo works and makes a terrible scene, shouting, insulting, and revealing Eduardo's homosexuality to all. In the last scene Eduardo is alone in his apartment and hears the rings of the doorbell. He looks through the peephole and his face lights up with joy. When the door is ajar the film ends without seeing the visitor.


Cast

*
Simón Andreu Simón Andreu Trobat (born 1 January 1941) is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in more than 180 films and television shows since 1961. In 2013 he was awarded with the Nosferatu Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalun ...
as Eduardo * Tony Fuentes as Miguel *
Charo López María del Rosario López Piñuelas (born 28 October 1943) better known as Charo López, is a Spanish actress. Filmography *Plan Jack cero tres (1967) *El hueso (1967) *La vida sigue igual (1969) *Ditirambo (1969) * El extraño caso del docto ...
as Rosa, Miguel's lover * Beatriz Rossat as Carmen, Miguel's girlfriend * Antonio Corencia as Raúl, Eduardo's friend * Germán Cobos as Ignacio, Eduardo's brother * Ana Farra as Eduardo's mother * Ángel Pardo as Nes *
Queta Claver Queta Claver (June 24, 1929 – May 3, 2003) was a Spanish actress, singer, and dancer, known for her " vedette" roles in stage revues. Early life Enriqueta Claver Delás was born in València, Spain in 1929 (some sources give 1932). Her mother wa ...
as Miguel's mother * Antonio Iranzo as Carmen's father * Antonio Gamero as voyeur in park * Josele Román as Pili, a prostitute * Carmen Platero as Olga, a prostitute


Reception

With its thematic centered on homosexuality, ''Los placeres ocultos'' was highly controversial.Smith, ''Laws of Desire'', p. 130 Initially banned by the Spanish censors, critics gave the film relatively kind reviews because they opposed the continuing of censorship one year after the death of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
. The review in ''El Pueblo'' stated that the film treats the "sad problem of homosexuality, but with Little scandal". On opening night in Madrid, the film was met with massive street demonstrations by gay liberationists, with de la Iglesia recalling that, " It was the first time a Spanish gay group came out in public, with its banners and presenting its demands."Murray, ''Images in the Dark'', p. 40


Notes


References

*Murray, Raymond. ''Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Guide to the Cinema of Spain''. TLA Publications, 1994, *Smith, Paul Julian. ''Laws of Desire: Questions of Homosexuality in Spanish writing and film 1960- 1990)''. Oxford Hispanics University Press, 1992,


External links

* {{IMDb title, 0075069 1977 drama films 1977 LGBT-related films 1977 films 1970s Spanish-language films Spanish LGBT-related films Films directed by Eloy de la Iglesia