Almodovar on Almodovar

Pedro Almodovar has been called 'the Spanish Andy Warhol' for his influence on Spanish popular culture. Almodovar comes from an austere background in rural Spain. It was the 1950s, the age of the Cold War, of mambo, of Balenciaga, of the Korean War, of the Hungarian Revolution, of the death of Stalin. But none of these events had any effect on his village. 'I felt like an astronaut at the court of King Arthur.' In response, Almodovar proceeded to carve for himself a unique niche in contemporary cinema with films bursting with vibrant energy and vivid, primary colours - each frame saturated with passions, releasing a pure, visual, visceral emotion. Above all, Almodovar's films - such as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Law of Desire, and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, to name a few - are deeply felt celebrations of desire. In these frank and passionate conversations, Almodovar discusses his career to date with a humour that is distinctly his own.