Saturday, January 8, 2011

Juan Piquer Simon (1935-2011)



Spanish horror/fantasy/sci-fi director Juan Piquer Simon died on 1/7/2011 after a battle with lung cancer. Simon directed over a dozen films, but it was PIECES that made him famous worldwide and in the United States, where the film was a theatrical hit and, later, a popular video rental. Simon crafted the film with an American sensibility (and using several American actors), so that few were aware that it was, in fact, a Spanish film.

I had the opportunity to interview Juan Piquer, via e-mail, several good years ago, and he was very gracious in answering my questions and provided me with photos to illustrate my interview. I had intentions of contacting him again for my Spanish horror book project.

Here are highlights from his most notorious film, a perfect Times Square movie during that district's last decade or so of double-bill showings:

1 comment:

  1. Hate to say it, but I first saw one of his films after getting "The treatment" on MST3K.

    Lazarus Lupin
    http://strangespanner.blogspot.com/
    art and review

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