Víctor Erice

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Lore & Background

Víctor Erice wrote film criticism for the Spanish journal *Nuestro Cine* and made short films before his first feature, *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), a critical portrait of 1940s rural Spain under Franco's rule. The film used symbolism to depict life under authoritarian rule, a risk given Francisco Franco was still in power at its release. Ten years later, Erice wrote and directed *El Sur* (1983), based on a story by Adelaida García Morales, though producer Elías Querejeta allowed only the first two-thirds of the story to be filmed. His third movie, *The Quince Tree Sun* (1992), a documentary about painter Antonio López García, won the Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Erice was set to direct *The Shanghai Spell*, an adaptation of Juan Marsé's novel, but producer Andrés Vicente Gómez tasked the project to Fernando Trueba instead, causing Erice 'a great deal of frustration'. He served on the jury at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and received a Golden Leopard for lifetime achievement at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. In July 2022, a project for a new film, *Cerrar los ojos*, was revealed to be in development, supported by Pecado Films, Tándem Films, Nautilus, and Canal Sur. It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to very positive reviews.

Reader's Guide

Víctor Erice's significance lies in his small but highly regarded body of work, which includes only four major features: *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), the unfinished *El Sur* (1983), *Dream of Light* (1992, also known as *The Quince Tree Sun*), and *Close Your Eyes* (2023). Critic Tony Rayns describes *The Spirit of the Beehive* as 'a haunting mood piece that dispenses with plot and works its spells through intricate patterns of sound and image'. Of *El Sur*, it has been said that 'Erice creates his film as a canvas, conjuring painterly images of slow dissolves and shafts of light that match Caravaggio in their power to animate a scene of stillness, or freeze one of mad movement'. Geoff Andrew, in the *Time Out Film Guide*, praises Erice's contribution to *Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet* (*Lifeline*) as 'quite masterly', adding 'it only makes you wish he worked more frequently'. Erice's work has influenced filmmakers such as Carla Simón, Carlos Vermut, Alejandro Amenábar, Oliver Laxe, Estibaliz Urresola, and Jaione Camborda. His portrayal of children dreaming and their attraction to fantastic worlds during the Spanish Civil War inspired Mexican director Guillermo del Toro in films including *The Devil's Backbone* and *Pan's Labyrinth*.

Did You Know?

• Erice studied law, political science, and economics at the University of Madrid before attending film school.
• His first feature, *The Spirit of the Beehive*, was released in 1973 while Francisco Franco was still in power.
• Producer Elías Querejeta only allowed Erice to film the first two-thirds of the story for *El Sur*.
• Erice's film *The Quince Tree Sun* won both the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.
• He received a Golden Leopard for lifetime achievement at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival.