Teo Escamilla

Teo Escamilla ranked as one of Spain's most talented and daring late '20th century cinematographers. Escamilla learned his trade from Luis Cuadrado, with whom he worked as an assistant from the early '60s through 1975, at which time Cuadrado tragically went blind. Afterward, Escamilla took over Cuadrado's position and worked closely with the team of producer Elias Querejeta. Escamilla made his debut as a cinematographer shooting Carlos Saura's wrenching domestic drama Cria Cuervo/Raise Ravens (1975). He would continue working with Saura for the next 13 years. Since then, Escamilla, much like his mentor Cuadrado, used carefully selected palate and camera techniques to create the illusion of having created living paintings. He differed from Cuadrado in his penchant for taking risks and devising creative new ways of filming. His fearlessness in the face of innovation mirrored Saura's. Their most famous collaborations include their three flamenco films, Bodas de Sangre/Blood Wedding (1981), Carmen (1983), and El Amor Brujo/A Love Bewitched (1986). Other filmmakers with whom Escamilla worked include, Manuel Guitirrez Aragon and Jaime de Arminan. In 1984 Escamilla made his directorial debut with Tu Solo/You Alone, but received few accolades for the effort. His final film as a cinematographer Las Cosas Que Deje en la Habana/The Things I Left in Havana was released in 1998. Escamilla was living in Cuba and was busy working on his second directorial effort Conciencia y Corazon/Conscience and Heart when he died of a heart attack.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide