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Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013), also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and
B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
s. He worked in many different genres during his career, but was best known for his horror and
erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
films, often incorporating
surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
elements. In a career spanning from 1954 to 2013, he wrote, directed, produced, acted in, and scored approximately 173 feature films, working both in his native Spain and (during the rule of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
) in France, West Germany, Switzerland and Portugal. Additionally, during the 1960s, he made several films in Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul. Franco's films are known for distinctive visual style and idiosyncratic approach to filmmaking, often directing multiple films concurrently. Despite mixed critical reception during his lifetime, Franco's work has gained a dedicated
cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
, and he is regarded as a significant figure in the history of exploitation cinema. In 2009, he received an Honorary Goya Award from the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain for his contributions to Spanish cinema.


Early life and education

Jesús Franco Manera was born in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on 12 May 1930, to a prominent family of Cuban and Mexican origin. His brother, Enrique Franco, was the vice president of the Albéniz Foundation. Via his sister Dolores, Franco was the brother-in-law of philosopher Julián Marías, and the uncle of filmmaker Ricardo Franco. A lifelong
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
enthusiast and pianist, Franco studied music at the Madrid Royal Conservatory and the Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu, before embarking on a film career. He studied at Madrid's Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas, and the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques in Paris. He cited among his influences
Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
,
Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 70th Academy Awards, 1998, and the Golden Lion#Golden Lion – Honorary Award, Career Golden Lion ...
,
Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...
, and
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
. During this time, he supported himself by working as a pianist in nightclubs and writing pulp novels under the pen name 'David Khune', which he later adopted as one of his directing aliases. He also directed stage plays.


Career

Franco began his career in 1954 (aged 24) as an assistant director in the Spanish film industry, performing many tasks including composing music for some films as well as co-writing a number of the screenplays. He assisted directors such as Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, León Klimovsky and
Juan Antonio Bardem Juan Antonio Bardem Muñoz (2 June 1922 – 30 October 2002) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter, born in Madrid. Bardem was best known for '' Muerte de un ciclista'' (1955) which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1955 Cannes Film Festiv ...
. After working on more than 20 films for other directors, he decided to get into directing films himself in 1959, making a few musicals and a crime drama called ''Red Lips''. In 1960, Franco took Marius Lesoeur and Sergio Newman, two producer friends, to a cinema to see the newly released
Hammer 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 nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...
horror film '' The Brides of Dracula'' and the three men decided to go into the horror film business. His career took off in 1962 with '' The Awful Dr. Orloff'' (a.k.a. ''Gritos en la noche''), which received wide distribution in the USA and the United Kingdom. Franco wrote and directed ''Orloff'', and even supplied some of the music for the film. In the mid-1960s, he went on to direct two other horror films, then proceeded to turn out a number of
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
-like spy thrillers and softcore sex films based on the works of the
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...
(which remained one of his major influences throughout his career). Although he had some American box office success with '' Necronomicon - Geträumte Sünden'' (1968), '' 99 Women'' (1969) and two 1969 Christopher Lee films – '' The Bloody Judge'' and ''
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...
'' – he never achieved wide commercial success. Many of his films were only distributed in Europe, and most of them were never dubbed into English.


With Soledad Miranda

After discovering Soledad Miranda (he first used her in his film ''Count Dracula''), Franco moved from Spain to France in 1969 so that he could make more violent and erotic films free of the strict censorship in Spain at the time, and it was at this point that his career began to go downhill commercially as he turned to low-budget filmmaking with an accent on adult material. Miranda starred in a series of six erotic thrillers for Franco, all made within a one-year period (one of which ''Sex Charade'' was never released), after which she was killed in a tragic automobile accident in Portugal in 1970 just as her career was taking off. She and Franco had started filming her next project (''Justine'') which he abandoned entirely after her death. (Only about 40 minutes of the movie was shot at the time of her death). He had also planned to feature her in his next film, ''X312: Flight to Hell'', which he made with another actress.Stephen Thrower, ''Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco'' (2015)


With Lina Romay

A year or two after Miranda died, a grieving Franco discovered a new leading lady in actress Lina Romay. At the time, the teenage Romay was married to a young actor/photographer named Ramon Ardid (aka "Raymond Hardy"), who co-starred with Lina in 19 Franco films in the 1970s. But as Romay and Franco became more involved in their film projects together over the years, her marriage to Ardid broke up in 1975 and ended in divorce in 1978 (Ardid continued working with Franco however until 1979). In the adult film ''Sexorcismes'' (1975), Franco was involved in a non-simulated sex scene with Romay. Franco was married at the time to Nicole Guettard (their marriage running approximately from 1962 to 1980), Ms. Guettard being gradually replaced in Franco's life by Romay. Guettard worked as a script consultant on some of Franco's films while they were married (sometimes credited as Nicole Franco), and even acted in a few of them. Her daughter from an earlier marriage, Caroline Riviere, also acted in a few Franco films in the early 1970s (including the risqué ''Exorcisme'' and ''The Perverse Countess''). Guettard died in 1996. Franco and Romay worked together for 40 years. While couple had started living together in 1980, they ''officially'' married on 25 April 2008. Until her death in 2012 (from cancer, aged 57), Romay was his most regular actress, as well as his life companion and muse. Romay starred in approximately 109 Jesús Franco films, more than any other actor or actress. Although Romay was listed in the credits of several films as a co-director, actor Antonio Mayans stated in a recent interview that Franco used to credit her in that manner for business reasons, although she never actually co-directed any of their films together. Although he produced a number of relatively successful horror films in the early 1970s (''Dracula vs. Frankenstein'', '' The Bare-Breasted Countess'', ''
A Virgin Among the Living Dead ''A Virgin Among the Living Dead'' is a film directed by Jesús Franco. Franco shot the film in Portugal in 1971 with the film it was only being released to the public in 1973. While credited as a production of Liechtenstein, it was submitted the ...
''), many people in the industry considered him a porn director due to the huge number of X-rated adult films he began turning out (even his 1970s horror films featured abundant nudity). Franco returned to low-budget horror films in a brief comeback period from 1980 to 1983 (''Mondo Cannibale'', ''Bloody Moon'', ''Oasis of the Zombies'', ''Mansion of the Living Dead'' and ''Revenge in the House of Usher''), but after 1983, his career took a second downturn as he returned to making mostly pornographic films, most of which left nothing to the imagination. In his later years, he did, however, get the opportunity to turn out two rather big-budget horror films – '' Faceless'' (1988) and ''Killer Barbys'' (1996) – both of which showed what great work he could still do when his projects were adequately funded. The entirety of his work after 1996 (beginning with ''Tender Flesh'') was shot-on-video films of very low quality, none of which were distributed theatrically. Romay died of cancer in 2012 at age 57, after which Franco died on April 2, 2013, from natural causes at age 82.


''Zombie Lake'' vs. ''Oasis of the Zombies''

Franco was supposed to write and direct a film for Eurocine Productions in 1980 called ''Lake of the Living Dead'' (a horror film about revived Nazi zombies) but after submitting the basic plot summary, he fell out with the producers, Marius and Daniel Lesoeur, over the ridiculously low budget he was allotted, and the producers immediately hired French horror film director Jean Rollin to direct it (later re-titling it '' Zombie Lake''). The Lesoeurs later had Rollin shoot new (zombie) footage in 1981 to be added to Franco's ''
A Virgin Among the Living Dead ''A Virgin Among the Living Dead'' is a film directed by Jesús Franco. Franco shot the film in Portugal in 1971 with the film it was only being released to the public in 1973. While credited as a production of Liechtenstein, it was submitted the ...
'' (1973) for its 1981 theatrical rerelease. Franco's original director's cut of the film was later made available on DVD. Franco later directed another film for the Lesouers called '' Oasis of the Zombies'' (a.k.a. ''Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies'' on VHS) in 1981, which had a plot very similar to '' Zombie Lake'' (also involving revived Nazi zombies). It was released in France as ''The Abyss of the Living Dead''. Franco simultaneously shot a variant Spanish-language version of ''Oasis of the Zombies'' at the producers' expense, starring Lina Romay and his "regulars", which was apparently released only in Spain in 1982 as ''La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes''.


Filmmaking style and themes

Franco sometimes worked under various
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
s, including David Khune and Frank Hollmann. A fan of jazz music (and a musician himself), many of his pseudonyms were taken from jazz musicians such as
Clifford Brown Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car crash, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Sprin ...
and James P. Johnson. Franco's themes often revolved around
lesbian vampire Lesbian vampirism is a Trope (literature), trope in early gothic horror and 20th century exploitation film. The archetype of a lesbian vampire used the fantasy genre to circumvent the heavy LGBT censorship, censorship of lesbian characters in the ...
s, women in prison, surgical horror, sadomasochism,
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
s and sexploitation (including numerous films based on the writings of the
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...
). He worked in other
exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...
genres, such as cannibal films, spy films,
giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...
, crime films, science fiction, jungle adventure, Oriental menace, exorcist films, war movies, historical dramas and nunsploitation. His sex movies often contained long, uninterrupted shots of nude women writhing around on beds. Most of his hardcore films starred his lifelong companion Lina Romay (sometimes billed as "Candy Coster" or "Lulu Laverne"), who admitted in interviews to being an exhibitionist. Franco was known for his use of a hand-held camera and zoom shots, which he felt lent realism to his films. He also was not averse to filming several movies at the same time, knocking together a second feature on the unsuspecting producer's dime. Many of his actors only found out years after the fact that Franco had actually starred them in films for which they had never even been paid. His main claim to fame, however, is that he managed to direct approximately 173 motion pictures in his lifetime, encompassing a wide swathe of different genres with practically no financial backing available to him. (Note: Some sources which list as many as 200 titles in Franco's filmography are relisting the same films several times under their different variant titles.) Sometimes referred to as the "European Ed Wood", Franco similarly attracted a circle of bizarre but loyal actors and technicians who moved with him over the years from project to project (while receiving very little, if any, money for their efforts). Many of his actors were over-the-hill performers in the twilight of their careers, many of his actresses brazen exhibitionists. He frequently worked with genre actors Lina Romay (who appeared in 109 Franco films), Antonio Mayans (who appeared in 50 Franco films), Howard Vernon (who appeared in 40 Franco films), Paul Müller (who appeared in 15 Franco films), Monica Swinn (who appeared in 15 Franco films), and Christopher Lee (who appeared in 7 Franco films). His frequent cast members also included Jack Taylor, Ewa Strömberg, Anne Libert, Soledad Miranda, Maria Rohm, William Berger, Dennis Price, Olivier Mathot, Muriel Montosse (a.k.a. Victoria Adams),
Alice Arno Alice Arno, (born June 29, 1946) is a French actress, nudist and model, best known for her roles in European sexploitation and horror film genres. Movie career Arno (who was raised in a family of Naturism, nudists) worked as a Glamour photograp ...
, Montserrat Prous, Alberto Dalbés, Britt Nichols, Pamela Stanford, Mabel Escaño, Kali Hansa, Carmen Carrión and
Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...
, all of whom are well known to Euro horror film historians.


Death

Franco suffered a severe stroke on 27 March 2013. He was taken to a hospital in
Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, Spain, where he died six days later, on the morning of 2 April. Franco was 82.


Filmography


See also

* Jesús Franco's unrealized projects


Notes


References


Further reading

* renchDaniel Bastié, Jess Franco : L’homme aux 200 films, Ed. Grand Angle, 2014 * Stephen Thrower, ''Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco'' (2015) * Jess Franco, ''Memorias del tío Jess'' (2004) (autobiography, in Spanish) * Stéphane du Mesnilot, ''Jess Franco - Énergies du fantasme'' (2004, in French) * Alain Petit, ''Manacoa Files'' (1994–1999, in French) * Lucas Balbo, Peter Blumenstock, Christian Kessler, Tim Lucas, ''Obsession - The Films of Jess Franco'' (1993) * Stephen Thrower, ''Flowers of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco''. Strange Attractor Press. (2018) * Tim Lucas, "How to Read a Franco Film", in ''Video Watchdog'' No. 1 (1990) * The book '' Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956–1984'' (1994), by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs, dedicates a chapter to Franco. * Xavier Mendik. "Perverse Bodies, Profane Texts: Processes of Sadeian 'Mixture' in the Films of Jesús Franco" in Andy Black (ed.), ''Necronomicon: The Journal of Horror and Erotic Cinema Book Two'' London: Creation Books, 1998, pp. 6–29. * Benedikt Eppenberger, Daniel Stapfer. ''Mädchen, Machos und Moneten: Die unglaubliche Geschichte des Schweizer Kinounternehmers Erwin C. Dietrich''. Mit einem Vorwort von Jess Franco
Verlag Scharfe Stiefel
Zurich, 2006, * Robert Monell, "Il codice segreto di Jesús Franco", in ''Nocturno Dossier n. 60'', luglio 2007 *Robert Monell, essays on ''Devil Hunter''/''Il Cacciatore di Uomini'' and ''The Cannibals''/''White Cannibal Queen'' in ''Eaten Alive: Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movies'' pp. 145–148 Edited by Jay Slater, Plexus Publishing Limited, London (2002) *Robert Monell, Foreword: "Jess Franco—Cinema Degree Zero" in ''Il Caso Jesús Franco'', edited by Francesco Cesari, (2010, in English, Italian and Spanish) Granviale Editore, Venezia, Italy, pp. 11–12.


External links

*
Santo and Friends
(Hispanic horror film index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Franco, Jesus 1930 births 2013 deaths Film directors from Madrid Spanish film producers Spanish cinematographers German-language film directors Spanish horror film directors Honorary Goya Award winners Spanish male film actors Spanish people of Cuban descent Spanish people of Mexican descent Spanish pornographic film directors Spanish male pornographic film actors Institut des hautes études cinématographiques alumni Male actors from Madrid