He was born somewhere in La Mancha, whose name he always wanted to remember. Maria Antonia Abad Fernandezbetter known by the artistic name of Sara Montiel, in March 1928. Daughter of a farmer and hairdresser at home, knew poverty from the cradle. So much so that he and his sister came to eat root to satisfy their hunger. Sara seemed destined to be an obedient and devoted housewife, but everything changed for her the day she was discovered by the magazine’s editor. victory, Angel Ezcurra. After hearing her sing saeta during Holy Week in Orihuela, the journalist decided to persuade Sara’s parents to let her enter a young talent contest held by the filmmaker Cifesa at the Retiro park in Madrid.
He represented Valencia with a song he idolized. Argentine Empire, the brunette of my policepoints to Daniel María in the illustrated biography sarcoma (Varietés Editions). “Despite a minor setback in her performance, she fell as soon as she stepped onto the stage, beating thirty contestants and winning a scholarship of five hundred pesetas a month for a year. Thanks to this fee, he was able to settle into a boarding house in Madrid with a caregiver provided by Ezcurras. He took rhetoric lessons at the conservatory and took his first steps to step into the world of cinema.
Sara made her first movie at the age of sixteen. a small role in the movie ladislao vagina I want you for me (1944). He would meet with his representative the following year. Enrique HerrerosThe sense of smell was crucial to kickstarting the remake of the original María Alejandra into Sara Montiel. “Herreros decisively intervened in changing the young woman’s appearance,” says María. “Her image between naive and mischievous as she was called the ‘Topolino girl’ in those days gave her a more grown-up look with her blonde hair and good gait. But the young woman needed a loud, sonorous and meaningful name like Rocinante. Sara likes her grandmother and Montiel likes the neighboring fields of her hometown of Criptana. Merger achieved target created a beautiful, seductive and elegant name. A star had just been born.”
jump to mexico
La Manchega chained secondary characters and co-stars. boyfriend gone (1945), with whom he shares credit with Fernando Fernán Gómez Clipper’s Mysterious Traveler (1945) and for the grand prize (1946). However, the respective roles eluded her, and on the advice of her first boyfriend, she became an intellectual. michael mihurameanwhile, who is twenty-two years older than him, He agreed to try his luck on the other side of the pond. Inside MexicanMontiel began acting in theaters, forming an artistic couple with such stars. Pedro Infante and made a total of fourteen films, almost monthly, making him a recognized star on the continent.
Sara’s closest circle began to fill with Spanish exiles and Mexican intellectuals. Diva commented in her memoirs: leon philip It encouraged him to practice studying and reading. The poet fell in love with him, and when he found out about her, he came to slap her at least once. Relationship with communist leader Juan Plaza. Apparently, this Spanish exile was a She had a long affair with La Mancha and impregnated her.. Years later, hairdresser José de la Rosa would say in an interview with a magazine that her friend Sara had told her when she was very young that she had a daughter with a prominent Mexican man: “The girl was born by a very long and complicated cesarean section. When Sara woke up from anesthesia, she was a dead girl. It was said that she gave birth to the child.” Another version claims that after the birth, someone stole her daughter and gave it to a couple in Valencia to raise her.
a new book Sarah Montiel. The woman and the star beyond the legend (Almuzara) offers more details about Juan Plaza, who tries to control Sara’s life and career, prompting her to flee the house they share in the Mexican state of Morelos. “at the end of 1955” the author, author Israel Rolon-Barada“One day, very early in the morning, packed and ready to begin the journey with her mother to Madrid via Los Angeles, Sarita said goodbye to her husband at her home in Cuernavaca, but had not disclosed before. She told him they were only going on vacation for a few weeks. What Plaza doesn’t know is was: gone forever, leaving his home never to return. They only bought one way tickets. Completely enraged, Plaza threatened to kill him and spent time chasing him. According to Enrique Herreros Jr., the man will one day Guayaquilwhere Sara performed, carrying a pistol that he intends to fire several shots (but La Mancha’s representative dissuaded him from his intentions).
Knowing that her ex cannot enter the United States due to her communist exile status, Sara Montiel settled in Hollywoodwhere he shot three feature films. with the first, veracruz, governing robert aldrichthe bill. gary cooper And Burt Lancaster. Thanks to one more. serenadeShe met her first husband, the American director. Anthony Mann. After the premiere of this movie, Sara went to Spain only for the shooting of the movie. last coupletA feature-length film that swept the Spanish box office thanks to word of mouth and, in the meantime, discovered to the public a model of a singer that did not exist until then. “When Sara turns the chirping into a whisper, it really alludes to the lyrics,” the biographer commented. Pedro Villara.
Control of your career
That’s when the producer Max Arnoldbetween Colombiaoffered Manchega a seven-year contract. But signing it meant a long adherence to the will of a giant who would control their freedom, will, and career, so Sara refused. “Instead, he accepted the counteroffer. stimulant, a two-year contract in which he puts a termination clause ”, writes María in her book. “La Montiel was always aware of that. His future in the film industry would be determined by his readings of Hollywood physique and accent.. They were going to cast her in small roles, she would just be a Latino secondary actress, and they would exploit her sensual and erotic side. They don’t respect your decisions or listen to your suggestions. He wouldn’t have control of his career.”
The decision to sign with Warner made Sara highest-grossing and universal Spanish actressThis allowed a film to return to Spanish cinema after a while to change the way it was put on its feet. Since that time, Sara started producing her own film projects He set a number of conditions, from being the absolute hero of his feature films, to having the last word when choosing the director of the film, personally checking the soundtrack and the song list on the costumes, and not coming back. waking up early to attend a movie shoot.
Like any good symbol of freedom, the diva made groundbreaking behaviors and decisions in Spain at the time. “Despite its determined attempts, the censorship apparatus could not abolish censorship. the free and independent woman who represents Sara despite her emotional and emotional nuances”, adds Maria. “No one could have interpreted Montiel’s characters the way she did, and no one actually interpreted them because they were so different from the submissive female character archetype in Spanish cinema of the time.”
After its cautious premiere in 1974 Five pillows for one nightSara is convinced that her latest film, cinema, is no longer keeping up with the times. “I retired because of debuting movies”, he would tell later. “They would go into the kitchen to ‘fuck’ in a nice evening dress and then come out naked. I didn’t like it at all, it didn’t suit me”. Fortunately for her followers, her professional life did not end with her retirement from cinema, and indeed the imprint of her stardom remained in effect until the end of her days.