ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOSÉ GIOVANNI
(Paris, France, 1923)
José Giovanni -with almost twenty long-length films and so many novels on his account- has actually become one of the most important names of the French black series. From the margins of the gender he has been able to develop a personal ethic universe that grants him author's unquestionable category. His look upon men, society and life is both marked by a deep sense of the adventurous and a bet on the individual personality that takes him not only to distrust social institutions as standing up for human values like loyalty, friendship and fidelity to your own ideals. Being those concepts more and more absent in our daily routine their recovery demands his heroes to take a walk on the wild side. Giovanni is a novelist, screen writer and director who has given us titles as La evasión, El gitano, El clan de los marselleses, Último domicilio conocido, Hasta el último aliento, A todo riesgo, Dos hombres en la ciudad, Tres aventureros, Le musher, Mi amigo el traidor, Trágate tu placa, and so on. Most of his novels have known multiple reissues in France, besides, their publishing in several countries, Spanish editions in Spain and Argentina included. The premiere of his most recent work, Mon père, took place in France in April 2001. It is a film version of the author's novel Il avait dans le coeur des jardins introuvables where his very close friend Bertrand Tavernier has collaborated with him in writing the script altogether. It relates Giovanni's himself life incidents at the end of the forties. Meanwhile he was jailed in the prison of La Santé in Paris,his father struggled to save him from death penalty by all possible means. In 1998, the Valencia Film Library published the book La aventura de la serie negra in collaboration with the "Cinema Jove" Valencian Film Festival, where he was dedicated a retrospective that year. In the book's foreword we can find the following words by the known Spanish film director Fernando Trueba: «Giovanni is the last of the greatest European black series author. Three of the French best black series films are based on their novels and, furthermore, they count with Giovanni himself as script, dialogist or both. "Le trou" (1959), by Jacques Becker, which opened in Paris the same week that "Al final de la escapada" by Jean-Luc Godard, "Classe tous risques" (1960), by Claude Sautet and "Le deuxième souffle" (1966), by Jean-Pierre Melville. The three of them are among their authors' best creations and the best films that Europe has ever given to the gender. Unfortunately, at that time, reviewers were very busy applauding the disasters made by Godard with, Richard Stark, alias Donald Westlake Made in USA and Lionel White with Pierrot le Fou ».
SYNOPSIS
In the novel Le trou, written by Josè Giovanni, published in 1957, there is a final chapter, after the failure of the escape tentative, where one of the main characters, Manu Borelli (Giovanni himself, not to mention his novel is based on real facts from the author's life), is isolated in a punishment cell. Giovanni is practically a "last survivor", so that he is frequently inspired by his own incidents when in his late forties, he is entered in the prison of the Santè in Paris and convict to death due to his contacts with the world of the mob. In 1947, he attempted an escape that will be the base for his famous novel Le trou. In 1949 he is condemned death and his father strives to get a reprieve.
Après le trou / After the escape seeks to evoke the prisoner universe and the echoes of the world of the adventure and the delinquency that have surrounded Giovanni's work and life. After the failure of his escape, due to the delation of a traitor, Manu Borelli is locked in an isolation cell. He can do nothing so their thoughts are very somber. One of the three days in those we visit his solitude, the director of the prison, Monsieur Sarquiet calls Borelli to his office to tell him about a visitor and about the need to change the detainee's life. Something that makes Manu to evoke violently the terrible episode happened time ago. A cell partner requested him some help in fracturing his arm in order to be transferred to the prison hospital.
The detainee's solitude and suffering are worked out with the help of long duration fixed planes shot inside a cell without any type of objects, only a straw mattress that the watchmen let him at night.
He has nobody to speak with, neither he has nothing to do but looking to the cellís window, read the prints left in the wall by other prisoners and eat his crappy dish of soup with tiny slices of bread. But the spectator, at the time that he observes the prisonerís immobility, continually listens to dialogues that come from anywhere, conversations or meditations that come out directly from the dozen of films in which Giovannni has participated well as a writer, as a director or both. Thus, we obtain an open, discontinuous, circulated, ironic and desperated reflexion about delinquency, prison, war, death, betrayal, police, and other major items. For instance, we listen to Abel Davos, the French public enemy condemned to death. We hear, besides, about Stark, Jeannot, Fargiet, Riton, Thèrèse... and "the one and only" Sophie. We also receive echoes from La Scoumoune, La Rocca, and we know about the remission of prison punishment by means of cleaning the fields of the mines from the second world war...
DIRECTOR'S BIOFILMOGRAPHY
ANTONIO LLORENS
(Valencia, Spain, 1952)
In the seventy , he coordinates film clubs sessions in diverse city and outskirts locals. he also writes, directs and plays, mostly in collaboration with Pedro Uris, several shorts and medium running films in super 8 mm., task that has been broadly pointed out in the book The dance of the damned, published in 1999 by the "Cinema Jove" Valencia Film Festival and the Film Library of the Valencian Council. He also shoots titles as On Purpose of..., Heroes, Action,A World of Illusion,The law of the deads, A History from Another Time (all of them written and directed together with Pedro Uris), or the unfinished Technique of a Revenge and A Forever Story (shot in 16mm.), besides to participate as an actor in The Roar of the Rats, Working in Murcia/Countdown(1973/1990), these last two ones by Pedro Uris.
Film reviewer in the valencian weekly time-out, "Turia". He belongs to its writing department since 1975, there being published articles, interviews, reviews, filmographies, etc. in about a thousand and five hundred copies approximately, task that bears equally work of filing, classificating, making of texts, etc. He also makes several work as writing-collaborator in diverse publications of the Valencian Film Library, in their configuration stage, such as "The Marx Brothers", "Blasco Ibáñez and the Cinema", "Cinema of Adventures", "Youth and Cinema", "The Cinema by Luis García Berlanga", and others.
1984 - 2001. Collaborator in diverse publications of the Valladolid Cinema International Week, where is author of the filmographies included in the books dedicated to Francisco Rabal (by Manuel Hidalgo), Concha Velasco (by Fernando Méndez-Leite) and Victoria Abril (by Rosa Frías), as well as the notebook The Spanish Film Noir and the book José Luis Dibildos written in collaboration with Javier Frutos. He also collaborates in several publications of the San Sebastian Cinema Festival, and he has published several notebooks for the Valencia Mostra del Cinema del Mediterrani, Peñíscola Comedy Festival, Malaga Festival, and others. He also writes in the magazine Academia and other publications. Not to forget he is the author of books like José Giovanni, A black series Adventure and Francesc Betriu, Deep Roots. In addition he is programmer of Albatros and Babel cinemas, from their creation respectively in 1986 and 1996, both located in the city of Valencia and specialized in original versions and author's cinema. He is member of the Europa Cinemas Administration Council, net of film theatres in favour of the European cinema.
Après le trou is its first long-length film as a director.ABOUT THE CASTING
XAVIER PART-BALERDI
He embodies the character of Manu, a young prisoner isolated after his failure to escape from cell 13-6. Part-Balerdi, aged twenty-nine, studied Photography in the School of Arts and Labours of Valencia, and after a brief experience in video making, this is his very first time appearing on the this side of the camera.
JUAN MANUEL CORTELL
As a teenager, when he used to live in France, he participated in some drama workshops, although, he has not developed a professional acting career later on. Thus, Après le trou also constitutes his very first appearance on screen. He acts Monsieur Sarquiet, La Santé prison governor.
JOSÉ MARÍA ÁLVAREZ
VICENTE LACRUZ
They both live and work in the city of Valencia and, as the rest of actors, they are not professionally devoted either to cinema or theatre. We must say, although, that the first has developed a wide experience as cultural programmer for the Polytechnic University of Valencia and he has also collaborated in Après le trou as production assistant. On his side, the second has recently participated as auxiliary of production in the long-length film Bestiario by Vicente Pérez Herrero. Finally, "Après le trou" also means both debuts for screen.
THE CREW
FEDERICO RIBES, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
(Benixatell, Alacant, 1952)
An extensive filmography and excellency define this photography director who has developed his career in films like Mi dulce (2001), Código natural (2000) —Málaga Spanish Cinema Festival's Best Photography Award—, Yoyes (2000), Ione sube al cielo (1999), Outlaw Justice (1999, TV), A tiro limpio (1997), En la vida, en el amor (1998), No se puede tener todo (1997), Turno de oficio: Diez años después (1996, TV), Una casa en las afueras (1995), À la recherche du mari de ma femme (1994), Mal de amores (1992), Carambolas (1992), Doblones de a ocho (1990), Soldadito español (1988), El señor de los Llanos (1987), Así como habían sido (1986), Calé (1986), Pasaron los días (1985), Poppers (1984),and so on. He has recently finished Bestiario (2002) by Vicente Pérez Herrero. Besides, we can't forget his beginning as still photographer in the very first Pedro Almodovar's long-length film Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón (1980).
PEPÓN SIGLER, ART DIRECTOR
(Valencia, 1959)
He has worked as art director in most of the audio-visual fields, from advertising (Lois, La bella Easo, Schweppes, Caster, Feber, Caroche, BBV, Bancaixa) to long-length films, where he has also participated as producer in several occasions: Amanece como puedas, Loco veneno, El hombre de la nevera, Las cosas del querer, La sombra del ciprés es alargada, Todos a la cárcel, Átame, Los caminos de la luz, Terca vida, Dripping, Rencor, and so on; not to mention television: El cura de Bargota, Fantasmas en herencia, Cuentos valencianos, Ruzafa 56, Manos a la obra, El botones Sacarino, Severo Ochoa,...
THE PRODUCERS
NISA
The firm, created in 1985, began as an advertising producer. In 1997, after making several shorts, NISA jumped into the world of the long-length films with Una piraña en el bidet by Carlos Pastor. Later on, the firm has produced the long-length documentary Las cenizas del volcán by Pedro Rosado (1999) and the film La Tarara del Chapao by Enrique Navarro (2000). Not to mention, the very awarded L'illa D´holandès by Sigfrid Monleón.
NISA has also carried out a television film career. Lately, in 2000 and 2001, the firm has produced for TVE Severo Ochoa, la conquista de un Nobel by Sergio Cabrera and, for the FORTA, the TV-movie Otra ciudad by César Martínez.
Nowadays, NISA is producing the documentary Serrat: el último trovador by José Ángel Montiel for Discovery Networks and the film Après le trou by Antonio Lloréns. And the firm is also carrying out the projects of the long-length films Mentiras by Miguel Perelló and Sahara: cuentos de una guerra by Pedro Pérez Rosado.
For the producers partners, Hispanocine & Cinegestion, it is the first longlength feature. Both are established in Valencia, Spain.
CREDITS
CAST
Manu Borelli: XAVIER PART-BALERDI
Sarquiet: JUAN M. CORTELL
Young ward: JOSE MARÍA ÁLVAREZ
Fat ward: VICENTE LACRUZ
FILMMAKERS
Directed by: ANTONIO LLORENS
Screenplay by: ANTONIO LLORENS
Based upon texts by: JOSÉ GIOVANNI
Music by: MANUEL DE BENITO & JEAN-MARIE SENIA THEME
Produced by: NISA / HISPANOCINE / CINEGESTIÓN
Produced by: SERGIO CASTELLOTE / EMILIO OVIEDO
Associated producers: ANTONIO SUCH / MANUEL CALVO
Executive producer: JOSE TRULLENQUE
Production assistant: CARLOS IBÁÑEZ
Director of photography: FEDERICO RIBES
Art director: PEPÓN SIGLER
Editor: ANTONIO LLORENS / PEDRO URIS
Script-girl: GEMMA SANTATECLA
Assistant Director: MICHAEL AGUILÓ
First Camera Assistant: PACO CABO
Gaffer: JOSÉ QUINZÁ
Makeup / Hairstylist: ANA CABALLERO
Makeup assistant: RAQUEL CASTELLÓ
Dresser: IRENE ORTS
Dresser assistant: MANUEL BONILLO
Art director assistant: VERÓNICA PEDRÓN