Atame!
1990
(Tie Me Up, Tie Me
Down!)
Additional
Captures
Writer and Director:
Pedro Almodovar
Other Actors: Victoria
Abril, Loles Leon, Julieta Serrano, Maria Barranco
This is one of Antonio's best
roles and a film that brought him international acclaim. He
interprets a young mental patient, Ricky, who is released
from long-term care and decides to kidnap a porno star (Victoria
Abril) he is obsessed with. He wants to hold her hostage until
she falls in love with him in return. And because this is
an Almodovar film this is exactly what happens, but only after
Ricky is badly beaten by drug dealers. A constant theme in
Almodovar's films is that passion and love are beyond reason.
American critics couldn't see Almodovar's point of view and
slapped an X-rating on the film effectively taking it out
of wide release.
As in his other films,
Almodovar places a great emphasis on the craziness and insanity
of the human soul. Apparently, the director believes that these
roles suit his favorite actor. "I know Pedro believes I'm a
guy with a lot of turbulence in my head. He believes I am tormented.
Am I? No -- at least it is less than what he thinks, and for different
reasons. Am I as tormented as Ricky? No, I hope not," laughs
Antonio.
The situation on
the set was sometimes tense as Almodovar pressed his actors to the
maximum. According to Antonio, Almodovar would "hurt you in
order to get what he wants from you. He does it with the intention
of capturing magic, of getting the best from you, of making you
feel obliged to draw out things that you were not even aware that
you had inside." Pedro is "the kind of person who'd rip
the skin off your body to see what's going on inside."
"Many actors
are insecure and wait for the director to tell them what to do.
I like to bring my own ideas to the set and I like to fight with
the director if that's possible.... We (he and Pedro) are like bullfighters....
He is the owner of his films and if you want to introduce ideas,
you have to be very smart. Very sly. You can't just say, 'I was
thinking...' because he'll say you're not allowed to think. HE is
there to think. When you want to introduce ideas you have to play
games with him all the time."
Related Information
This is Antonio's
third film with Victoria Abril.
It was Antonio's
fifth and last with Pedro Almodovar, although neither of them knew
it at the time. Antonio describes his relationship with Almodovar:
"Pedro and I always got along very well and my friendship with
him is a brotherly friendship. And, like brothers, we fight and
have disagreements. And disappoint each other. But he sees something
of himself in me which is why he picked me to be his alter ego on
film."
After the debut of Atame!
in New York, Almodovar and company joked about the X-rating
as they ate an enormous pastry adorned with an immense X.
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