A child of the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath, writer-director Carlos Saura flowered during the waning years of Franco's dictatorship, dodging the aging regime's censorship by leading his films into allegory, dreams and symbolism. His features exploring fascism's repressive effects on society became portraits of Spain in a dark mirror, poignantly expressing the country's uneasy relationship with its past. While Franco lived, the filmmaker felt compelled to speak against tyranny, but the Generalissimo's death in 1975 freed Saura to speak for himself. Although he has done fine work since,
Family moved to Madrid and lived there throughout the Spanish Civil War
Left engineering school and began career at age 18 as a roving freelance photographer specializing in music and dance subjects; earned living this way for three years (c. 1950-1953)
1951
Had first one-man show in Madrid
1955
Made first short student film, "Antonio Saura"
1956
Directed nine-minute documentary, "El Pequeno rio Manzanares"
