CABEZAS CORTADAS

The history and restoration of a cursed film

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At the 1969 Cannes Film Festival, Glauber Rocha received an offer: $100,000 and complete freedom to shoot a film in Spain. In July 1970, Cabezas cortadas was released, a film whose impact on the cinematic conventions of the time was immediate. For specialist critics, it was an allegorical masterpiece, a visceral scream against tyranny, colonialism and the agony of dictatorial power. For the general public and mainstream press, it was unintelligible nonsense, unable to assimilate its fragmented aesthetic and excessive symbolism. More than five decades later, Video Mercury Films, ECAM and FlixOlé have joined forces to restore the movie in 4K and unravel one of the most unique and fascinating works in the history of Spanish cinema.

Anatomy of Cabezas cortadas

An exhaustive investigation into the conception, filming and release of the film. A journey through archives, newspaper libraries, interviews and previous research that helps us understand the true scale of one of the most unusual and misunderstood works by the Brazilian filmmaker Glauber Rocha. Thanks to the recovery of the extensive correspondence with his producer, Ricardo Muñoz Suay, the shooting diary compiled by Augusto M. Torres and the files preserved in various institutions, we have managed to uncover how this unique Spanish-Brazilian co-production came to materialise.

THE CANNES AGREEMENT

At the 1969 Cannes Film Festival, Pere Fages and Ricardo Muñoz Suay offered Glauber Rocha $100,000 and complete creative freedom to shoot a film in Spain. This led to the project tentatively titled “The Testament of Don Quixote".

NOISE, FURY AND THE NORTH WIND

For three weeks, the Catalan region of Ampurdán served as the filming location for Cabezas cortadas. The process was marked by chaos and was meticulously documented by Augusto M. Torres.

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FROM MACBETH 70 TO CABEZAS CORTADAS

To get around Spanish censorship, the project was presented as “Macbeth 70,” a loose and highly personal adaptation of Shakespeare's play. The strategy worked perfectly. The script was approved and received the “Special Interest” designation.

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SHOK AT THE SAN SEBASTIÁN FILM FESTIVAL

On July 7, 1970, the San Sebastián Film Festival hosted the world premiere of Cabezas cortadas. The film was met with boos from the audience and more traditional critics. Independent critics, however, defended it as a unique work.

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A THIRD WORLD FILMMAKER IN FRANCO'S SPAIN

Describing himself as a “Third World filmmaker,” Glauber Rocha sought to break away from the perspectives imposed by American and European cinema. To him, Spain was “the Bay of Europe.”

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A MASTERPIECE OR A FRAUD?

The question of whether Cabezas cortadas is a masterpiece or a joke has surrounded the film since its release. The film sharply divided critics and audience.

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A restoration diary

A guide to the different technical processes involved in restoring a film: from locating the original materials to digitisation, colour correction and image cleaning. With the aim of producing a new 4K copy of Cabezas cortadas without compromising the fidelity to the original work, we are faced with the complex, subjective decisions inherent in any restoration process.

FROM PHOTOCHEMICAL TO THE SCREEN

Cabezas cortadas was originally shot on 35mm film. To create a new 4K digital copy of the film, it is essential to digitize the image using a specialized scanner.

BRINGING THE LIGHT BACK TO ELDORADO

The film negative does not preserve the original colors of the work. That is why we must turn to other sources to restore the film’s original hues.

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CLEANING DIAZ II'S CASTLE

Over time, the film has suffered a number of defects, such as noise, scratches, and instability. Thanks to new restoration software, all of these imperfections can be corrected.

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TANGO, RANCHERAS AND SARDANAS

One of the key stages in the restoration of a film is sound restoration. We use the latest technologies to recover the original soundtrack of Cabezas cortadas

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Testimonials

Through the voices and memories of those who experienced it first-hand, we piece together the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the film. A mosaic of testimonies that immerses us in the backstory of a shoot that broke all the film conventions of the time.

MANEL ESTEBAN

Assistant director on Cabezas cortadas, the filmmaker and screenwriter reflects on the unconventional filmmaking approach practiced by Glauber Rocha.

J.LIFANTE & J.NAVARRO

Despite not knowing exactly what the story was about or what their roles in the film entailed—and despite the strange and bewildering nature of many scenes—the actors advocate revisiting Cabezas cortadas.

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AUGUSTO M. TORRES

The critic served as script supervisor, chronicler of the production diary, and emergency screenwriter on Cabezas cortadas. He provides essential firsthand testimony about Rocha’s chaotic working method.

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MARTA MAY

Personally selected by Rocha and Muñoz Suay to play the role of Doña Soledad, she acknowledges that Cabezas cortadas challenged all her previous assumptions about acting.

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MANEL ESTEBAN

Assistant director on Cabezas cortadas, the filmmaker and screenwriter reflects on the unconventional filmmaking approach practiced by Glauber Rocha.

J.LIFANTE & J.NAVARRO

Despite not knowing exactly what the story was about or what their roles in the film entailed the actors advocate revisiting Cabezas cortadas.

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AUGUSTO M. TORRES

The critic served as script supervisor and chronicler of the production diary. He provides essential firsthand testimony about Rocha’s chaotic working method.

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MARTA MAY

Personally selected by Rocha and Muñoz Suay to play the role of Doña Soledad, she acknowledges that Cabezas cortadas challenged all her previous assumptions about acting.

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"Was Cabezas cortadas a misstep, or was it so brilliant that it even managed to confuse Buñuel himself? I honestly don’t know"

"It’s a disgraceful collage, a mixture of cheap circus acts, fairground stalls, a shooting gallery, a trashy magazine, a low-budget Z-grade film, a village street band, a laughing stock and a hall of funhouse mirrors"

"The whistling and booing was considerable, but not as intense as that wretched creature deserved"

"I used to admire Ricardo Muñoz Suay (producer), but now I admire him even more. Simply because I reckon he wrote the synopsis for Cabezas cortadas. At least he’s got the idea."

"This film seems as though it were aimed at the inmates of a mental asylum, and I doubt they would even understand it… I suggest that Mr Rocha change the title from «Cutting Heads» to «Crazy Heads»"

"Rocha wanted to make a film that would provoke, a film that was outrageously ugly, at times ridiculous, always grotesque and aggressive"

"It is a film about madness. The madness of violence. So much violence committed in the name of peace, humanity, love and hope"

"I loved it, because I was in favor of the chaos in the film, which was the chaos of the country we were in"

Data Sheet for the Film

Original title: Cabezas cortadas
Year: 1970
Duration: 94 minutes
Countries: España, Brasil
Director: Glauber Rocha
Production: Profilmes, Filmscontacto y Mapas Filmes
Cast: Francisco Rabal, Marta May, Pierre Clementi, Emma Cohen, Rosa María Penna, Luis Ciges
Original screenplay: Glauber Rocha
Cinematography: Jaume Deu Casas
Assistant director: Manuel Esteban y Manuel Pérez Estremera
Edition: Eduardo Escorel
Sound: Roger Sangenis
Script: Augusto M. Torres
Makeup department: Cristóbal Criado
Art director: Fabián Puigserver

Restoration Technical Credits

A project by: Video Mercury Films, ECAM and FlixOlé
Executive Producers: Miguel López and Javier Mosqueda
Research: Miguel López
Research Supervisor: Inés Toharia
Digitization: Naiara Illescas
Digital Image Restoration: ECAM
Digital Image Cleanup Assistance: ECAM
Color Restoration: Javier Mosqueda
Color Restoration Assistance: ECAM
Sound Restoration: ECAM
Web Content: Aarón Ortega and Javier Higueras
Web Design: Aarón Ortega
ECAM Communications: María Pardo