An in-depth exploration of Almodovar s complete uvreUn film de Almodovar: whether appearing in his stylish opening credits or on the suggestive poster that invariably accompanies each of his films, this announcement triggers a range of expectations. Sexy and subversive, colorful and controversial, passionate and provocative, Pedro Almodovar s world is unlike any other director’s. Thanks to his remarkably cohesive and consistent uvre, the Manchegan maverick has become a reliable brand, his name a byword for the visual opulence, experimentation and eroticism of post-Franco Spanish cinema.Almodovar found fame with self-penned, gender-bending plots depicting the often comic misfortunes of junkies, nuns, housewives, whores, transvestites and transsexuals. Praised by critics, championed by fellow film-makers, adored by actors and adorned with international awards, he is the most successful Spanish film-maker since Luis Bunuel, with films such as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Volver. A self-taught auteur, Almodovar draws on influences as diverse as Douglas Sirk, Frank Tashlin, Andy Warhol and John Waters. His feature films borrow liberally from, and frequently invert, traditional genres of classic American cinema including film noir, melodrama and screwball comedy. Yet they remain unmistakably Iberian, rooted predominantly in the director’s beloved Madrid, exploring Spanish myths and modernity to the rhythms of bolero-laden soundtracks. Most recently, the enfant terrible of the 1980s arthouse scene has matured into the Academy Award-winning director of All About My Mother, a film universally acknowledged for its emotional resonance, sophistication and craftsmanship. Almodovar s distinctive, once marginalized world has finally entered the mainstream. For this unprecedented monograph, Pedro Almodovar has given TASCHEN complete access to his archives, including never-before-published images, such as personal photos he took during filming. In addition to writing captions for the photos, Almodovar invitedprominent Spanish authors to write introductions to each of his films, and selected many of his own texts to accompany this visual odyssey through his complete works. Over 600 images, including many previously unpublished. Includes images from his new film, The Skin I Live In (2011), which will be released worldwide at the same time as the book. Book includes a film strip from Volver (2006), taken from Almodovar s archive. The leather-bound Art Edition is limited to 500 signed and numbered copies, each with the original digital C-print Penelope, as Marilyn (2008), photographed and signed by Pedro Almodovar. The book comes in a silkscreened box.Art Edition - No. 1-500 Penelope, as Marilyn, 2008, photographed by Pedro Almodovar37.2 x 26.9 cm (14.6 x 10.6 in.)(Frame not included)