Sesión continua

1984 Spanish film

10 September 1984 (1984-09-10)

(Spain)

Running time

115 minutesCountrySpainLanguageSpanish

Sesión continua (English: Double Feature) is a 1984 Spanish drama film written, produced, and directed by José Luis Garci. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards.^[1]

Synopsis

Following his separation from his wife, José Manuel Varela is gearing up for the production of his film Slow Descent into Depression, a collaborative effort with his friend Federico Alcántara, who is grappling with his recent divorce. The narrative revolves around the bond between the two writers—one a novelist and the other a screenwriter.

Cast

Adolfo Marsillach as José Manuel Varela
Jesús Puente as Federico Alcántara
María Casanova as Graciela dos Santos Varela 'La Mala'
José Bódalo as Dionisio Balboa
Encarna Paso as Pili
Víctor Valverde as actor portraying 'The Minister'
Patricia Calot as actress portraying 'The Philosophy Student'
Pablo Hoyos
Emma Suárez as Sonia
Rafael Hernández as Balboa Films production employee
Yolanda Ríos as Amelia
Juan Calot
Diana Salcedo
Primitivo Rojas as Announcer
Maite Marchante
Jesús Hermida as himself

Production

Initially, the lead roles were intended for Alfredo Landa and José Sacristán. However, disputes between the two actors over who should receive top billing led to their departure from the project. Jesús Puente and Adolfo Marsillach were subsequently chosen as replacements.^[2] By the time the film was produced, Garci also worked as radio presenter on Antena 3 Radio. Some of the uncredited actors that can be seen in the film are actually presenters on the same radio station.

For the football match attended by the characters played by Puente, Bódalo, and Marsillach at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, Garci utilized the match from 26 February 1984, between Atlético Madrid and Sporting de Gijón, which ended in a 1-1 draw, with goals scored by Rubio for the home team and Mesa for the visitors.^[3]

References

^ "The 57th Academy Awards (1985) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
^ "Garci y Landa, historia de un «crack»". 15 December 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
^ Marañón, Carlos (31 August 2010). "Atleti-Sporting: 'El partido de Garci'". Cinemanía. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.