A un dios desconocido
Encyclopedia
To an Unknown God is a 1977
Spanish
film
directed by Jaime Chávarri
. The film is about an aging man coming to terms with his homosexuality and mortality. It was a pioneer in his frank and mature examination of homosexuality.
during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
in the spring of 1936.
Now in his fifties, José returns to Granada and relives his childhood there. A time when he fell in love with Garcia Lorca and had a youthful affair with one of Lorca's own lovers. Memories come flooding back to the mature José, of youthful sexual conquest, of Lorca's murder at the hands of Franco
's agents, and his own early homosexual affairs. José's entire life is colored by his obsessions with Garcia Lorca, his unknown God, to whom the film is dedicated.
José travels twice to Granada. First, he revisits a woman who is also obsessed with Garcia Lorca's memory, and steals a photograph of the boy with whom he had his first sexual encounter; later, José returns to Madrid, to a party in search of his youth, and meets a pianist with whom he had sexual relations many years before but now does not remember.
When José returns to Madrid, he is a man tormented by his past, and in search of peace. Listening to a taped recording of Garcia Lorca's famous "Ode to Walt Whitman
", he desires nothing more than to face the rest of his life in loneliness, although his recent lover, Miguel has returned to his bed and wants to continue their affair. José realizes that he is really all alone in their world, alone with his God.
of 1978 and was part of the American Film Institute
series of Spanish films which traveled throughout North America in 1979-1980. Hector Alterio also won the Best actor award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 1977 for his performance as José.
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Jaime Chávarri
Jaime Chávarri
Jaime Chávarri y de la Mora is a Spanish actor, screenwriter and film director. His mother María de la Mora y Maura was a maternal granddaughter of Antonio Maura....
. The film is about an aging man coming to terms with his homosexuality and mortality. It was a pioneer in his frank and mature examination of homosexuality.
Plot
José, a middle age magician,is an elegant discreet homosexual who lives alone and has an occasional affair with Miguel, a young politician who finds it more convenient in Madrid's high society to marry than asserts his homosexuality. José is a man romantically possessed and obsessed by his childhood in GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in the spring of 1936.
Now in his fifties, José returns to Granada and relives his childhood there. A time when he fell in love with Garcia Lorca and had a youthful affair with one of Lorca's own lovers. Memories come flooding back to the mature José, of youthful sexual conquest, of Lorca's murder at the hands of Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's agents, and his own early homosexual affairs. José's entire life is colored by his obsessions with Garcia Lorca, his unknown God, to whom the film is dedicated.
José travels twice to Granada. First, he revisits a woman who is also obsessed with Garcia Lorca's memory, and steals a photograph of the boy with whom he had his first sexual encounter; later, José returns to Madrid, to a party in search of his youth, and meets a pianist with whom he had sexual relations many years before but now does not remember.
When José returns to Madrid, he is a man tormented by his past, and in search of peace. Listening to a taped recording of Garcia Lorca's famous "Ode to Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
", he desires nothing more than to face the rest of his life in loneliness, although his recent lover, Miguel has returned to his bed and wants to continue their affair. José realizes that he is really all alone in their world, alone with his God.
Cast
- Héctor Alterio- José
- Xabier ElorriagaXabier ElorriagaXabier Elorriaga is a contemporary Venezuelan film and TV actor, writer and director.- Biography :...
- Miguel - Maria Rosa Salgado - Adela
- Rosa Valenty - Clara
- Ángela MolinaÁngela MolinaÁngela Molina is a Spanish actress, and a daughter of Antonio Molina, Spanish singer and actor.Molina studied dance and theater art in the Escuela Superior de Madrid. She rose to international prominence after starring in Luis Buñuel's last movie That Obscure Object of Desire...
- Soledad - Margarita Mas - older Soledad
- Mercedes SampietroMercedes SampietroMercedes Sampietro is a Spanish actress.Her debut on stages was in 1979, and in cinema, seven years later, with Jaime Chávarri's A un dios desconocido...
- Mercedes - José Joaquin Boza - Pedro
Awards
The film was the Grand Prize winner at the Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
of 1978 and was part of the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
series of Spanish films which traveled throughout North America in 1979-1980. Hector Alterio also won the Best actor award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 1977 for his performance as José.
- 3 Awards at San Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián International Film FestivalThe San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
: Best Spanish Film, Best Actor and OCIC Award.