Antonio Gimenez-Rico Spanish film director and screenwriter. Date of Birth: 20.11.1938 Country: Spain

1. Biography of Antonio Jiménez-Rico
2. Early Career
3. Directorial Debut and Television Work
4. Return to Cinema
5. Later Works

Biography of Antonio Jiménez-Rico

Antonio Jiménez-Rico was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He was born on November 20, 1938, in Burgos, Spain. Jiménez-Rico graduated from the University of Valladolid with a degree in law, but his interests extended beyond the legal field. He studied journalism, played the piano, and worked in radio.

Early Career

During his time at university, Jiménez-Rico led a film enthusiasts club and even started writing film reviews for the magazine 'Cinestudio'. In 1963, he began studying film production and worked as an assistant director at a studio, where he had the opportunity to work under the guidance of Vittorio Cottafavi and Eugenio Martin, among others.

Directorial Debut and Television Work

Jiménez-Rico made his independent directorial debut in 1966 with the children's film 'Mañana de Domingo' (Sunday Morning). This was followed by several comedies, including 'El hueso' (1968) and 'El Crónica' (1969). However, the failure of the film 'Es usted mi padre?' (1970) led Jiménez-Rico to seek work in television.

In 1970, he began a long period of work on state television, which lasted for several years. During this time, Jiménez-Rico directed the crime television series 'Plinio' (1972), based on a character created by Francisco Garcia Pavón, the comedy series 'Crónicas de un pueblo' (1971-1974), and several telefilms.

Return to Cinema

Jiménez-Rico returned to feature filmmaking in 1976 with 'Retrato de Familia' (Family Portrait), an adaptation of Miguel Delibes' novel 'Mi idolatrado hijo Sisí'. The film depicts a family in a provincial town during the Spanish Civil War and is considered one of Jiménez-Rico's best works. His success allowed him to direct the musical comedy 'Al fin solos pero...' (Finally Alone, But...) in 1977, but the film was a disappointment for both critics and audiences.

His next film, the comedy 'Del Amor y de la muerte' (Of Love and Death, 1977), also received modest reviews, prompting Jiménez-Rico to return to television. Much later, in 1983, he directed the highly acclaimed documentary 'Vestida de Azul' (Dressed in Blue), a combination of interviews with real transsexuals and theatrical fictional scenes.

Later Works

Jiménez-Rico continued to direct films, both fiction and documentary, but they failed to attract significant commercial success or favorable critical reviews. Examples of his later works include the drama 'Jarrapellejos' (1988), which was screened at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival. His latest film, 'El libro de las aguas' (The Book of Waters), was released in 2008.

Although Antonio Jiménez-Rico continues to make films, his work often goes unnoticed by the general public. However, his contributions to Spanish cinema and television have left a lasting impact on the industry.