''Begin the Beguine'' ( es, Volver a empezar) is a 1982 Spanish film written and directed by

José Luis Garci José Luis García Muñoz (born 20 January 1944), known professionally as José Luis Garci, is a Spanish Film director, film director, Film, producer, critic, TV presenter, screenwriter and author. He earned worldwide acclaim and his country's fi ...

, starring

Antonio Ferrandis Antonio Ferrandis Monrabal (28 February 1921 – 16 October 2000) was a Spanish actor, remembered especially for the role of ''Chanquete'' in the Spanish television series ''Verano azul''. Biography Born on 28 February 1921 in Paterna, provi ...

. The plot follows the story of a Spaniard who returns to his homeland after many years in exile when he wins the Nobel Prize in literature. Its original

Spanish 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, Can ...

title is ''Volver a Empezar'', which means ''Starting Again''. The film won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was the first Spanish film to do so.

Plot

It is the year 1981, the famous writer Antonio Albajara (Antonio Ferrandis) arrives at

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...

, his hometown, from Stockholm, where he has just received the Nobel Prize in Literature. For forty years, Albajara has been a professor of medieval literature at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He has alternated his teaching with the literary production that has given him worldwide fame. In Gijón, Antonio is reunited with Elena, his first and great love, before he was forced to his exile in 1937 Civil War. However, this visit is not definitive because a serious and deadly disease affects the writer.

Cast

- Antonio Albajara * Encarna Paso - Elena * Agustín González - Gervasio Losada *

José Bódalo José Bódalo Zúffoli (March 24, 1916 – July 24, 1985) was an Argentine born Spanish film actor. Biography Bódalo was born in Córdoba, Argentina, the son of Rome-born actress Eugenia Zúffoli and Spanish actor and singer José Bódalo, S ...

- Roxu * Marta Fernández Muro - Carolina * Pablo Hoyos - Ernesto

Awards

* Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1983) * Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Montreal Film Festival (1982)

References

External links

* 1982 films 1982 drama films Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners 1980s Spanish-language films Spanish drama films Films with screenplays by José Luis Garci Films directed by José Luis Garci 1980s Spanish films {{1980s-Spain-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Awards

See also

References

External links