''La Tía Tula'' ( Aunt Tula) is a 1964 film Spanish film directed by
Miguel Picazo
Miguel Picazo de Dios (27 March 1927 – 23 April 2016) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for his first feature film '' La tía Tula'' ''(Aunt Tula)'' (1964).
Career
Born in Cazorla ( Jaén), Picazo was ...
. The film is based on the
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca.
His major philosophical ...
novella of the same title. Highly acclaimed, the film is widely considered a classic of
Spanish cinema
The art of motion-picture making within Spain or by Spanish filmmakers abroad is collectively known as Spanish Cinema.
Only a small portion of box office sales in Spain are generated by domestic films. The different Spanish governments have t ...
. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film at the
38th Academy Awards
The 38th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1965, were held on April 18, 1966, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope, and were the first Oscars to be broadcast live in colo ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Shooting locations included
Brihuega
Brihuega is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. According to the 2007 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 2,835 inhabitants.
In 1710 a hard-fought battle took place in the township between Lord Stanhope ...
, and
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
.
Plot
Tula, a 31-year-old unmarried woman, whose sister has just died, decides to bring her brother-in-law Ramiro, a bank employee, and his two children into her home. As she takes over the management of their lives, she gradually usurps the privileges of her brother-in-law and his children. She acts as a wife mother figure, but does not accept the sexual commitments or maternal responsibilities of her new role.
Ramiro is attracted to Tula as she dotes on his children, but she spurns his affections. She is also critical of his interest in other women. As Ramiro's sexual frustration grows, he attempts to rape Tula. Tula's priest advises her to marry Ramiro. Tula insists on maintaining a platonic relationship as she is used to being her own mistress, but rather than expel them from her house decides to take them to her village and with the presence of more relatives redirect Ramiro's feelings to the memory of her dead sister. Ramiro rapes Tula's nubile teenage cousin Juanita at the first opportunity but the rest of the family are unaware until months later it is evident Juanita is pregnant. Ramiro is forced to marry her, taking his children and new wife to a life out of the provinces and into the city.
The closing scene shows Tula waving goodbye to the ménage as the train departs, resigned to her spinster status.
Cast
*
Aurora Bautista as Tula
*Carlos Estrada as Ramiro
*María Enriqueta Caballeira as Juanita
*Laly Soldevila as Amalita
*Mari Loli Cobo as Tulita
*Irene Gutiérrez Caba as Herminia
See also
*
*
References
Notes
* Schwartz, Ronald, ''The Great Spanish Films: 1950- 1990'', Scarecrow Press, London, 1991,
External links
*Director Miguel Picazo and actress Aurora Bautista speak about film a
35 mm de cine español*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tia Tula, La
1964 films
1960s Spanish-language films
1964 drama films
Spanish black-and-white films
Films set in Spain
Films directed by Miguel Picazo
Spanish drama films
Films shot in the province of Guadalajara
Films based on works by Miguel de Unamuno