Alejandro Doria (November 1, 1936 – June 17, 2009) was a noted

Argentine cinema Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad. The Argentine film industry has histo ...

and television director.

Life and work

Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on November 1, 1936, Alejandro Doria first worked for Argentine television in 1965 as a writer for a local

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

, ''Show rambler''. He first directed professionally for ''Adorable Professor Aldao'', a 1968

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

series. Doria's contract to direct the 1969 season of a top-rated

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, ''Nuestra galleguita'' (''Our Galician Girl''), secured his career in Argentine /television, and he directed numerous series during the early 1970s and was a guest producer several times for ''Alta Comedia'', a comedy showcase. Doria first directed for the cinema in 1974. The political

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

by José Dominiani, ''Proceso a la infamia'' (''Infamy on Trial''), ran afoul of the newly appointed National Film Rater, Miguel Paulino Tato, however. Unable to work professionally for four years, Doria obtained his film's release in 1978, though the new, heavily edited version was panned by its audiences and director, alike. In demand following his long absence, Doria directed two thrillers in 1979: a film adaptation of

Marco Denevi Marco Denevi (May 12, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an Argentine author of novels, short stories, and plays, as well as a lawyer and journalist. His work is characterized by its originality and depth, as well as a criticism of human incompeten ...

's ''

Contragolpe ''Contragolpe'' is a 1979 Argentine drama film directed by Alejandro Doria. Cast * Marcelo Alfaro ... Gigolo 1 * Enrique Alonso * Alberto Argibay *Raúl Aubel * Aldo Barbero * Sergio Bellotti * Héctor Bidonde * Luisina Brando * Rodolfo Brindi ...

'' (''Retribution''), and of Aída Bortnik's ''La isla''. Collaborating with Bortnik on ''La islas screenplay, the psychological thriller earned Doria a special mention at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Los miedos ''Fears'' () is an Argentine horror film shot in Eastmancolor, released on August 14, 1980. It was directed by Alejandro Doria and written by Alejandro Doria and Juan Carlos Cernadas Lamadrid.Teorías y prácticas audiovisuales: actas del primer ...

'' (''Fears''), in 1980, and in 1982, directed a film adaptation of Silvina Bullrich's best-selling ''Los Pasajeros del jardín'' (''Wanderers in the Garden'') - Bullrich's nostalgic, autobiographical look at her happy and all-too-brief second marriage. The return of democracy in Argentina in 1983 was accompanied by a revival in local film and theatre production. Doria and

Uruguayan Uruguayans () are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizen ...

screenwriter Jacobo Langsner wrote a script based on a concept created by another Uruguayan artist, veteran leading lady

China Zorrilla China Zorrilla (; born Concepción Matilde Zorrilla de San Martín Muñoz; 14 March 1922 – 17 September 2014) was an Uruguayan theater, film, and television actress, also director, producer and writer. An immensely popular star in the Riopl ...

. Their drama, ''

Darse cuenta ''State of Reality'' () is a 1984 Argentine historical drama film directed by Alejandro Doria and starring Luis Brandoni, Darío Grandinetti and Lito Cruz. The film won the 1985 Silver Condor Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original ...

'' (''Realization''), was a critical and commercial success in 1984. Doria and Langsner were then reunited for the making of ''

Esperando la carroza ''Waiting for the Hearse'' (''Esperando la carroza'' in Spanish) is a 1985 Argentine black comedy film directed by Alejandro Doria. It opened on 6 May 1985. Originally not successful upon release, it is now considered a cult film and representative ...

'' (''Waiting for the Hearse''). The 1985

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

looked at a typical Argentine family and their struggles with each other and their mischievous, nonagenarian matriarch. The film became a

cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), 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 List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...

, though another director's sequel written by Langsner and released in 2009 was unsuccessful. Doria and Langsner then turned to recent history in Argentina with ''Sofia''. The 1987 tragedy dealt with a chance encounter and a May–December love affair amid the oppressive

Dirty War The Dirty War () is the name used by the military junta or National Reorganization Process, civic-military dictatorship of Argentina () for its period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983. During this campaign, military and secu ...

against dissidents. The harrowing portrayal, however, received little notice. Doria returned to the family comedy genre in 1990 with ''Cien veces no debo'' (''I Don't Owe 100 Times Over'') - a comedy of errors revolving around bad news for a neurotic, middle-class family. Doria then returned to television, directing a number of soap operas and a segment in an episodic homage to the victims of the 1994

AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing occurred on 18 July 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and targeted the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA; ), a Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Centre. Executed as a Suicide attack, suicidal attack, a Car bom ...

(the worst terrorist attack in Argentine history). His reputation as a leading filmmaker in Argentine cinema was restored with the 2006 release of '' Los manos'' (''The Hands'') a

bio-pic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

on the life of Father

Mario Pantaleo José Mario Pantaleo (August 1, 1915 · August 19, 1992) was an Italian priest who lived most of his life in Argentina. He is known as Padre Mario. He was well known for the healings of thousands as well as for the construction of a foundation i ...

, an Argentine priest who incurred the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

's wrath following reports he possessed healing hands. The drama earned numerous prizes in Argentina and in prestigious international film festivals, notably the

Huelva Latin American Film Festival The Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival () is the oldest film festival in Europe dedicated to the Ibero-American cinema. It has been held since 1975 in Huelva, Spain. During the first editions, it was known as (). The festival was originally or ...

and

Cartagena Film Festival The Cartagena Film Festival (), or FICCI, is a film festival held in Cartagena, Colombia, which focuses mainly on the promotion of Colombian television series, Latin American films and short films. The Cartagena Film Festival, which is held ever ...

. Doria more recently directed '' Doce horas'' (''12 Hours'') and ''Tuya'' (''Yours''), titles scheduled for release in 2010.

Pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

cost the filmmaker his life on June 17, 2009, however, at age 72.

Filmography

*''

Proceso a la infamia ''Proceso a la infamia'' aka ''Los Años Infames'' is a 1974 Argentine historical drama film directed by Alejandro Doria, set in the period that followed the Great Depression in Argentina, known as the "Infamous Decade The Infamous Decade () ...

'' - 1974 *''

'' - 1979 *'' The Island (La Isla)'' - 1979 *''

Fears Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat, com ...

(Los Miedos)'' - 1980 *''Los Pasajeros del jardín'' - 1982 *'' State of Reality (Darse cuenta)'' - 1984 *'' Waiting for the Hearse (Esperando la carroza)'' - 1985 *''

Sofía Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. Sofia may also refer to: People *Sofia (given name), includes a list of notable people with the name * Sofia (Filipino singer), a bossa nova singer from the Philippines *Sofia (Swedish singer), ...

'' - 1987 *'' I Don't Owe 100 Times (Cien veces no debo)'' - 1990 *'' 18-J'' - 2004 *'' The Hands (Los manos)'' - 2006

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doria, Alejandro 1936 births 2009 deaths Argentine film directors Argentine male screenwriters Argentine television directors Argentine satirists Satirical film directors Film people from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Italian descent Deaths from pneumonia in Argentina 20th-century Argentine screenwriters 20th-century Argentine male writers