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Eugenio Martín (born 15 May 1925) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He is known for the low-budget
genre film Genre film may refer to: * A film conforming to a well-defined film genre * Genre Films, aka Kinberg Genre, a television and film production company * ''Genre'' (1996 film), a live-action/animated short by Don Hertzfeldt See also * Genre, the ge ...
s he made in the 1960s and 1970s, including '' Bad Man's River'', '' The Bounty Killer'', and '' Horror Express'', the latter being particularly notable for its inclusion of the well-known English actors
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
and
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
, famous for their work with
Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...
. Though never remarkably successful either at the box office or among critics, Martín's films, particularly ''Horror Express'', have achieved cult status. The popular
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...
magazine
Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...
included ''Horror Express'' in its book, ''101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen: A Celebration of the World's Most Unheralded Fright Flicks''.


Early life and first films

Martín was born on 15 May 1925 in
Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territo ...
, an
autonomous city of Spain eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...
located on the north coast of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. He was a child when the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
broke out. Since the uprising first broke out among Nationalist generals in Spanish Africa, the African port city of Ceuta was immediately embroiled in violence. Following the death or arrest of friends and family members, Martín's family fled to
Granada Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...
on the Spanish mainland.a After publishing a volume of verse, Martín's interests veered toward cinema, and while still at university he created Grenada's first film society. Though he considered leaving
Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...
Spain for a less censorious environment, he eventually decided to stay in Spain, accepted into the "Institute of Cinematic Investigation and Experiences" in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...
. At the institute, Martín made a series of well-regarded short films and documentaries before making his first feature film ''Despedida de soltero'' ("Farewell to the Single Life"), in 1957.


International collaborations and commercial success

When European film crews began frequently using Spain as an affordable site for
location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for e ...
, Martín took advantage of opportunities for collaboration and worked with a number of foreign directors, most notably
Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for the 1955 film ''Rebel Without a Cause.'' He is appreciated for many narrative features pr ...
. He had the opportunity to direct films using international casts and crew which familiarized him with many different players in 1960s cinema, by many accounts among the most fertile and creative periods in film history. In 1966 Martín directed '' The Bounty Killer'' (released as ''The Ugly Ones'' in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
), the first of many Westerns he was to create. It remains among his better known works; dialogue from the film was sampled in the
RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...
track, "Ode to Django," which appeared in the credits of the 2012 Quentin Tarentino film '' Django Unchained''. The director maintained that the concept behind his film antedated and influenced the
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cine ...
film ''
For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' ( it, Per qualche dollaro in più) is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. German ac ...
'', worked on by Duccio Tessari - a mutual acquaintance of Martín and his friend and former teacher
José G. Maesso José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
. Martín made several musicals and
giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, a ...
-type films in the following years, solidifying his reputation as "an ''
auteur An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...
'' in every genre", per the subtitle of a recent
biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
. The director's filmography and competence in English led American
producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
Philip Yordan Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 – March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who produced several films. He acted as a front for Hollywood blacklist, blacklisted writers although his use of surrogate screenwriters ...
to contract him for three films, which remain among his better-known works: ''Bad Man's River'', ''
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...
'', and ''Horror Express''. These films have decidedly uneven critical reputations, but the latter especially remains a favorite among fans of its lead actors,
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
and
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
. Martín's international profile dropped significantly after his 1973 film, '' A Candle for the Devil,'' released in North America as ''It Happened at Nightmare Inn.'' After this release, most of his work was in Spanish-language
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...
. On October 11, 2017 he was honored for the fiftieth anniversary of his film ''
El precio de un hombre ''The Ugly Ones'' (Spanish language, es: ''El precio de un hombre'', lit. "The Price of a Man", Italian language, it: ''The Bounty Killer'', later ''La morte ti segue... ma non ha fretta'', lit. "Death follows you... but not in a hurry") is a L ...
'' (1967) at the 7º Almería Western Film Festival.


Selected filmography

* ' (1961), starring Hans von Borsody * ''Despedida de soltero'' (1961), starring Germán Cobos, Silvia Solar * ' (1962), starring
Götz George Götz George (; 23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, the son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg detective Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series ''Tatort''. Early ...
, Jean Sorel, Heinz Drache * ''
Golden Goddess of Rio Beni ''Golden Goddess of Rio Beni'' (german: Die goldene Göttin vom Rio Beni) is a 1964 adventure film directed by Franz Eichhorn and Eugenio Martín and starring Pierre Brice, Gillian Hills and René Deltgen.Bock & Bergfelder p.82 It was made as a c ...
'' (1964), starring Pierre Brice * '' Captain from Toledo'' (1965), starring Stephen Forsyth * '' The Bounty Killer'' (1967), starring Tomas Milian * '' Requiem for a Gringo'' (1968) * ''Una señora estupenda'' (1967), starring Lola Flores * ''Las Leandras'' (1969), starring
Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...
* ' (1969), starring
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
* ' (1971) ''Death at the Deep End of the Swimming Pool'', starring Carroll Baker * '' Bad Man's River'' (1971), starring Lee Van Cleef,
Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As ...
,
James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...
* '' Horror Express'' (1972), starring
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
,
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
,
Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...
* ''
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...
'' (1972), starring
Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...
, Clint Walker * ''A Candle for the Devil'' (1973) ''It Happened at Nightmare Inn'', starring Judy Geeson * '' The Girl from the Red Cabaret'' (1973), starring Mel Ferrer, Marisol * ''No quiero perder la honra'' (1975), starring Ángela Molina, José Sacristán * ''Esclava te doy'' (1976), starring Alfredo Landa * ''Call Girl'' (1976) * ''Tengamos la guerra en paz'' (1977) * ''Aquella casa en las afueras'' (1980) aka ''The House in the Outskirts'' * ''Supernatural'' (1981) ''Return of the Poltergeist'', starring
Cristina Galbó Cristina Galbó Sánchez (born 17 January 1950) is a Spanish actress who achieved moderate fame in Europe during the late 1960s and early 1970s, making a name for herself in film mostly for European horror films. In 1967 she appeared in ''Dove ...
* ''La sal de la vida'' (1996), starring Patxi Andión,
Ivonne Reyes Ivonne Reyes (born October 8, 1967 in Valencia, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan actress and TV presenter. She started as a model and she went later to Miami and finally to Spain, where she became a celebrity thanks to TV programs like the qui ...
, Juan Diego Botto


Further reading

*Aguilar, Carlos and Anita Haas. ''Eugenio Martín: Un Autor Para Todo Los Géneros''. Retroback & Séptimo Vicio. Spain: 2008. *Lukeman, Adam, ed. ''101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen: A Celebration of the World's Most Unheralded Fright Flicks''.
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
:
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Ger ...
, 2011.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Eugenio 1925 births Living people People from Ceuta Spanish film directors Spanish screenwriters Spanish male writers Male screenwriters Giallo film directors Horror film directors