Temístocles López
Encyclopedia
Temístocles López is a screenwriter, actor, stage and film director. He has had an eclectic and varied career, often shifting between the classical, the popular and avant-garde. His eminently visual experimental films were followed by cinematic adaptations of classic theater and his documentary pieces about the avant-garde in Europe lead to more accessible forms of entertainment in America.
. His father Temístocles Ramón Lopez is a psychiatrist, and his mother Lina Giménez is an acclaimed novelist. Temistocles grew up in Spain and studied in France, Germany, Italy and England, where he learned to master the diverse languages. He started his career as a journalist, writing about cinema for magazines and radio shows.
He studied cinema at the London Film School
, where he made Hollywood Song, an homage to classic American movies. In 1970, he went to live in Italy where he worked at the Teatro Stabile di Torino in the productions of Bertold Brecht’s Life of Galileo
and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt
. In 1972 he wrote and directed Dose, a surrealist short based on a story by Raymond Roussel
. In 1974 He worked as assistant in the Spoleto Festival production of Robert Wilson
’s A Letter for Queen Victoria.
In 1975 he directed Contemporanea, a documentary about the American Avant Guarde scene, which featured the composer Philip Glass
among others.
In 1976 he moved to Caracas
where he directed Shakespeare’s The Tempest
, Cocteau’s The Knights of the Round Table and Goethe’s Faust
.
He continued his cinematic experiments with Caribe in 1976 and The Temptations of Saint Anthony in 1978.
In 1981 he played Simon Bolivar
, the Venezuelan “Libertador”, in Diego Risquez’s Bolívar, sinfonía tropikal.
In 1983 he moved to New York, where he wrote Dali, a screenplay about the Surrealist painter, which was made into a feature that won the Grand Prize at the Biarritz Film Festival.
In 1989 he wrote and directed Exquisite Corpses, a black comedy that soon became a cult hit.
In 1992 he wrote and directed Chain of Desire a provocative chronicle of contemporary sexual mores, featuring Linda Fiorentino
, Elias Koteas
, Assumpta Serna
, Seymour Cassel
and Malcolm McDowell
among others. The film was the American entry in competition at the 1992 Montreal World Film Festival
In order to learn more about the Hollywood traditions he admires, in 1994 he moved to Los Angeles, where he was hired to direct Bird of Prey
, a thriller featuring Oscar nominees Jennifer Tilly
, Lesley Ann Warren
and Richard Chamberlain
.
In HOME- The Horror Story (2000), featuring Richard Beymer
, Tracy Nelson
and Grace Zabriskie
, the writer-director used absurdist humor and surreal visuals to satirize conservative "family values".
Screenwriter
Actor
Directed
A fictional biography of the visionary artist, written and to be directed by Temistocles Lopez, is now in pre-production.
A novel about the Surrealist movement
Film Reviews
Early life and career
Temístocles Miguel López Giménez was born in Valencia, VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. His father Temístocles Ramón Lopez is a psychiatrist, and his mother Lina Giménez is an acclaimed novelist. Temistocles grew up in Spain and studied in France, Germany, Italy and England, where he learned to master the diverse languages. He started his career as a journalist, writing about cinema for magazines and radio shows.
He studied cinema at the London Film School
London Film School
The London Film School is a private film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, close to a hub of the UK film industry based in Soho. The LFS was founded in 1956 by Bob Dunbar as The London School of Film Technique...
, where he made Hollywood Song, an homage to classic American movies. In 1970, he went to live in Italy where he worked at the Teatro Stabile di Torino in the productions of Bertold Brecht’s Life of Galileo
Life of Galileo
Life of Galileo , also known as Galileo, is a play by the twentieth-century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. The first version of the play was written between 1937 and 1939; the second version was written between 1945–1947, in collaboration with Charles Laughton...
and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
. In 1972 he wrote and directed Dose, a surrealist short based on a story by Raymond Roussel
Raymond Roussel
Raymond Roussel was a French poet, novelist, playwright, musician, and chess enthusiast. Through his novels, poems, and plays he exerted a profound influence on certain groups within 20th century French literature, including the Surrealists, Oulipo, and the authors of the nouveau...
. In 1974 He worked as assistant in the Spoleto Festival production of Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
’s A Letter for Queen Victoria.
In 1975 he directed Contemporanea, a documentary about the American Avant Guarde scene, which featured the composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
among others.
In 1976 he moved to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
where he directed Shakespeare’s The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, Cocteau’s The Knights of the Round Table and Goethe’s Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
.
He continued his cinematic experiments with Caribe in 1976 and The Temptations of Saint Anthony in 1978.
In 1981 he played Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, the Venezuelan “Libertador”, in Diego Risquez’s Bolívar, sinfonía tropikal.
In 1983 he moved to New York, where he wrote Dali, a screenplay about the Surrealist painter, which was made into a feature that won the Grand Prize at the Biarritz Film Festival.
In 1989 he wrote and directed Exquisite Corpses, a black comedy that soon became a cult hit.
In 1992 he wrote and directed Chain of Desire a provocative chronicle of contemporary sexual mores, featuring Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Dogma, Vision Quest, Men in Black, After Hours and The Last Seduction.-Personal life:...
, Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
, Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna is a Spanish actress. She is known for her roles in I, The Worst of All portraying famous Mexican religious scholar Sor Juana, Nostradamus, The Craft, and Wild Orchid, although she may be most remembered for her role as Peninsular War guerrilla commander Teresa Moreno in the first...
, Seymour Cassel
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel is an American actor.He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/directorJohn Cassavetes...
and Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
among others. The film was the American entry in competition at the 1992 Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
In order to learn more about the Hollywood traditions he admires, in 1994 he moved to Los Angeles, where he was hired to direct Bird of Prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, a thriller featuring Oscar nominees Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
, Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
and Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
.
In HOME- The Horror Story (2000), featuring Richard Beymer
Richard Beymer
George Richard Beymer, Jr. is an American actor known for playing Tony in the 1961 film version of West Side Story and Ben Horne on the 1990 television series Twin Peaks.-Life and career:...
, Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (actress)
Tracy Kristine Nelson is an American actress.-Early life:Tracy Nelson is a third generation performer; her parents were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Nelson and actress/artist Kristin Nelson . She has three younger siblings: Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson of the '90s rock group Nelson,...
and Grace Zabriskie
Grace Zabriskie
Grace Zabriskie is an American actress. She has appeared in many popular American films but, she is best known for her work in television. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, and Big Love.-Early life:Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, the writer-director used absurdist humor and surreal visuals to satirize conservative "family values".
Filmography
Writer and Director- Home - The Horror Story (2000)
- Bird Of Pray (1995)
- Chain Of Desire (1992)- Torino Film Festival 1992, Montreal World Film Festival 1992
- Exquisite Corpses (1989)
- Caribe (1976)
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1978)
- Contemporanea: music and dance (1974)
- Dose (1972)
- Hollywood Song (1970)
Screenwriter
- Dalí (1991)
Actor
- Bolívar, A Tropical Symphony (Bolívar,sinfonía tropikal) (1979), as Bolívar
Stage works
Written and Directed- The Knights of the Round Table (1980)
- The Prince of the Galaxies (1979)
Directed
- The Tempest, by William Shakespeare (1976)
- Faust, by Goethe (1981)
Nominations and awards
- Chain of Desire (1992)- Best Film at the Pescara Film Festival, Nominated for Best Cinematography at the 1994 Independent Spirit Awards (Director of Photography: Nancy Schreiber)
- Dalí (1991)- Grand Prize at the Biarritz Film Festival
Projects
- Man Ray (feature film)
A fictional biography of the visionary artist, written and to be directed by Temistocles Lopez, is now in pre-production.
- The Visionaries
A novel about the Surrealist movement
External links
- Temístocles López at the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0530376/
- Chain of Desire in the Torino Film Festival official Website http://www.torinofilmfest.it/view.php?table=tffdb&ID=5485&lang=eng
- Chain of Desire in the Pesacara Film Festival awards history http://www.scritturaeimmagine.it/festival_cinema.html
Film Reviews
- Chain of Desire - Anthony Lane's review in the New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/chain_of_desire_lopez
- Chain of Desire - Todd McCarthy's review in Variety http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117901635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1