Realism(s), tragedy and irony. José Antonio Nieves Conde: “I wanted to make films, but I found myself in a world where the director was constantly being pushed around”

Abstract

The last in-depth interview with Segoivano filmmaker José Antonio Nieves Conde (1911-2006), in September 2003. Nieves Conde was the director of Furrows (Surcos, 1951) and The Tenant (El inquilino, 1957), two of the most important titles of Spanish film history. In this interview, he reflects on his extremely troubled professional career, his (only partly) thwarted aspirations to create a “social cinema”, his early connection with the Falange before the Civil War and his disenchanted view of the Spain that followed. This is an important testimony that explains some of the inspirations, influences and personal and professional relationships of a truly key figure of Spanish cinema.