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The company was created in Madrid on 1952 by José Ángel Ezcurra and it had produced three long features before being bought by me on 1958. The three films were Puebla de las mujeres (Antonio del Amo, 1952), El pescador de coplas (Antonio del Amo, 1953) and Expreso de Andalucía (Francesc Rovira Beleta, 1955), the latter in co-production with Films Fortuna (Italy) The name, Teide, was due to Ezcurra’s mania of naming his companies with names beggining by the letter T. Ezcurra was the alma mater of Triunfo’s magazine, of the greatest importance in the late franquisme, that had just began as a movie fan’s magazine.

In his novel, El vendedor de naranjas, Fernando Fernán Gómez defends the theory that all the Spanish film production companies began thanks to the money from orange export Valencia companies: CIFESA, Valencia Films, Aspa, etc. So that, in Teide’s case, no only Ezcurra’s family was valencian but myself I paid a great amount of the buying prize with a loan I received from Martín Domínguez, excellent valencian journalist and orange exporter. After having worked in cinema making several jobs, and after having directed to long features, Yo maté (1955) and La rana verde (1957), in the latter being also Associate Producer, owning entirely a film company should give me the essential freedom to be able to make the films I wanted.

Teide’s first address was in a small and delicious apartment –perhaps it would be more exact to name it garçonnière– located in the attic in 27th Carmen St. in Madrid. Gossips said that it was used for the intimate meetings of Ezcurra’s father with a well known Spanish movie star. 

In that flat I began to work in my first Teide production, El inocente. The script was based on Mario Lacruz novel, winner of  a Simenon Prize for detective stories, written by the author and myself on which we have built on our great hopes. In this adventure, I had two valencian partners, Eduard Sancho, in that moment working in Television Española  as a newsreader, and his friend Martín Domínguez.

I made a contract to José María Rodero for the rol of the police inspector, whose level was lowered to assurance agent by the censorship because he was the willain of the film and on 1959 all policemem must be good fellows. I began to shoot on location, in Barcelona and surroundings. At he same time, Eduardo Sancho, contracted Antonio Vilar in Lisbon for the rol of an orchestra conductor who was very famous but with mental problems. I do not know in which ethylic condictions that contract was signed but when, after the second shooting week, I met Vilar in Prat airport, he embraced me very warmly, saying that he was filled with enthusiasm with his character and that his idea was to compose a refined police inspector alike to those made by William Powell.

When I made him understand that we have been shooting twelve days, not with the police but with an assurance agent, he said: ‘Tomorrow I go back to Lisbon.. Not even being drunk I should make this crazy orchestra conductor’.  There was a signed contract, guaranteed by the Syndicate, besides of commercial engagements, and therefore, next Sunday Mr. Vilar began to work, but under conditions that were getting worse and that made that we could only shoot half the scheduled shots. After that, he left the shooting and sue us that made even more difificult the situation during one year in Madrid courts.  I used five differents stand-in for him and I finished the film as I could because the valencian partners resign when they saw what was happening.

Finally the film was released as Muerte al amanecer (1959), and in spite of being chased by eight Madrid courts, it was not bad business since Dirección General de Cinematografía  gave me a good rate and that meant cash. Bengala Films, that had supported me in the last time of the production, payed me a fair prize for the films and later I sold it to France, Canada… and Japon. And lat but not the least, I won Antonio Vilar’s sue.

However, this experience marked Teide future. I changed the social address, still in Madrid, to a very small office in 36th Montera St., that I used for my  contact with Madrid institutions and as an opertating base in my trips to the Spain capital.

The next production, was La vida privada de Fulano de Tal (1960), that I also directed. At the beginning, Teide only had to put its trademark, since two different groups financed it. But the accountants of both groups fled with the money and Teide finished had to take charge of all. Economically, the film went fairly good and opened me Mundial films doors, one releasing company that in those moments, was going up like the foam and that very pleased with the result want to support Teide productions.

Thanks to that cooperation, we made Los culpables (1962), that I wrote and directed and co-produced on a 50% basis between Mundial and Teide. My company had an economical support in a partner, José Luis Infiesta, a radiology doctor, who also helped us with enthusiasm and who have written the script for Julia y el celacanto (1960 - Antonio Momplet) and who was decisive for Teide’s life.

During almost all 1962 and during all 1963, Teide remained inactive because I had directed three films for Iquino (IFI) ¿Pena de muerte? (1962)  –before  Los culpables–, La ruta de los narcóticos (1962) and José María (1963) and, on the other hand, I got obsessed in a project, Tura, with the background of Spanish Civil War. Mundial that accepted all my proposals supported me until the script was banned thrre times by the censorship. When  Mundial got tired bought Alejandro Casona, La barca sin pescador (1964) rights, asking me to begin to work in the script and to cancel Tura definitively.

In that time I respected Casona very much –I had participated in a university lecture on Los árboles mueren de pie, that caused a great political commotion– and I was not sure on adapting it to cinema. I was doubting until I received a  categorical order: La barca sin pescador or nothing. We made the film of the usual basis, 50 % and 50% Mundial.

The film was not good business and Mundial enthusiasm for Teide and for me cooled down but I had overcome all my economical problems and I was going very fast on the right way.  I created a team to make industrial movies and began shooting. Bagur, paraíso del mediterráneo (1965 - Manuel Somar), a short paid by  factories, hotels, urbanizations and shops of the well known Costa Brava village. It worked economically. By the other hand, I co-produced El castigador (1965), with Joan Bosch y Selecciones Capitolio, a film starring Cassen and directed by Joan Bosch, that worked fairly well.

That same year I co-produced with Eridania Films (Roma) a film shot almost entirely in Morocco. First it was tittled Maria Magdalena, later Todos conocen a Rebeca and finally was released as La mujer del desierto (1965) It was directed by Luigi Lattini De Marchi an Italian, who was very friendly but also very limited. In the meantime I wrote La piel quemada. Script.

On 1966 I changed Teide social address to Barcelona, 65-67 Nuestra Señora del Coll street, penthouse A, and I embarked on another co-production, now with Italy and Germany, Mister Dinamita, mañana os besará la muerte (1966 - J. F. Gottlieb). As film copany, Teide was going on wonderfully and I decided that I could risk making a film with no concessions, absolutely as I liked it. So, I made La piel quemada (1966).

Shooting began in Lloret de Mar, starring Daniel Martin as Jose; and actress formed in Julio Coll’s school in the rol of Juana, and Marta May as the Belgian. Just in the second shooting day I realized that it did’not work. So, I stopped, I made arrangements with the contracts with no problems, I write the script again and I did not take the shooting again till summer with the definitive casting. Antoni Iranzo was José, Marta May as Juana and Silvia Solar as the Belgian. Now, I think that my decision to stop the first day of sooting was the most intelligent thing I made in my life.

My enthusiasm and  illusion went on after the first standard copy was seen by Joan Francesc de Lasa. He liked it very much and included the film in the Semana de Cine Español de Molins de Rei. I always be obligated to Lasa for his defence and promotion of the film and I thin that his attitude was decisive to change my professional qualification that, in that moment, was not very high. The first distributors who watch the film did not share our anthusiasm and, specifically Universal’s Aguilar, made a savage criticism. I was in very low spirits because time was elapsing but sudcendly mr. Muniesa from the dsistributor Huguet – Selecciones Capitolio, liked the film and made my a good contract. Finally, it was released  with a remarkable success, beginning a career of great prizes: the Jury in Festival de Valladolid, Fotograma de Oro to Iranzo; Placa San Joan Bosco 1967 (Fotogramas); Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid  best script and best 1968 actress (Marta May), etc.

The artistic success of La piel quemada and the economical one of the rest of my productions made me forget the reality and I made the greatest production mistake of my life: to think that Franco censorship would end to accept M’enterro en els fonaments. It was my next film, adapting Manuel de Pedrolo’s novel on the student revolt that on 1967 was reaching a considerable dimension and put Franco dictatorship in great difficulties. One of the reasons that contributed me to make the mistake was that my script was approved, even with big mutilations, the third time I presented it, thanks to the firm attitude of Francisco Sanabria, Ministerio de Información y Turismo  subsecretary, whom I met in  the Festival de Valladolid (when La piel quemada won a prize) who obliged the Commission to approve it. Just when I finished the standar copy, Sanabria was ceased. So, when the projection of the film began before the Censorship Commission, somebody said: ‘This is the film whose script Sanabria obliged us to aprove’. Then, a list of prohibitions began and the copy was passed twenty four times to the Commission with no success at all. Every body wanted my head and recommended the sadly famous Tribunal del Orden Público (TOP) to take the affair into its hands. That history lasted for nine years and, only after Franco’s death. The film could not be realeaded. Its tittle was La respuesta.

During that long working process, I produced the short El mundo de Fructuoso Gelabert (1967 - Joan Francesc de Lasa), a passionate portrait of the catalan cinema pioneer. I also co-produced with Intercontinental y Ulysse de Paris L’affut  (Spanish tittle) El Acecho (1967 - Phillippe Condroyer), that had not the success that I thing it deserved. After that I produced the shorts Tom y las moscas (1968 - Carlos Balagué) y Pirineo Catalán (1969 - Joaquim Coll- Espona).

When La respuesta situation was quite clear, my economic situation was grave. Nevertheless I was lucky that it was co-produced on a 50% basis with Estela Films and that Jordi Tusell, his owner, behaved as a good professional, with dignity and above all, like a friend.

To solve my economic problems I had the idea to make a film that let me have sponsors from the very beginning. I remember that in those years –I’m speaking of 1969– there were no sponsors in the cinema. That project was Las piernas de la serpiente (1970 - Joan Xiol Marchal) and its key was a partner, Antonio Sola, an old friend of mine since many years ago, who was the owner of Publicidad Sola, an advertising company specialized in cycling events. The film –as a comedy– took place during the well know race Midi Libre in the Catalunya Nord (South of France) finishing, just that year, in Montjuic castle in Barcelona. The advertisements were paying the production and besides Las piernas de la serpiente was a commercial success.

My finances were getting better little by little. I participate in some shorts. Amor adolescente (1969 - Jorge Lladó),  La forma ovalar (1970 - Carles Balaguer), Uno (1970 - Javier Esteban) y Un laberinto (1970), and I accepted the proposal that Josep Maria Vallés and Francesc Bellmunt made me when we were shut up in Montserrat as a protest against the Burgos process. I produced Pastel de sangre (1971), that will be directed by four newcomers, the Vallès y Bellmunt  from Catalonia and Emilio Martínez-Lázaro y Jaime Chávarri from Madrid. The production phase was very well provided that Banco Popular loans and contributions were reaching us, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Valles, bank general director in Catalonia, and one of directors father. Other promised contributions never arrived, Mr. Valles got angry, was hardening his co-operation until freezing it up and we had serious economic difficulties during the post-production process. I was obliged to take part since all was made in Teide’s name but since my economical situation let me klitle leeway, I finished falling in usurer’s clawns. During a lot of time I had to pay 10% quarterly for the total amount of money that I had to borrow to finish the film. In short, one production made just to earn money served to worsening my economical situation. I had just one possibility to go ahead: to work and earn money.

My next production was La otra imagen (1972 - Antoni Ribas), After my last experience, I got several partners with rigid contracts who respected their contributions and all worked perfectly well, adding a loan granted by Banca Catalana –thanks to Jordi Pujol– made that the production went on smoothly with any problem.

During 1973 and 1974, Teide produced five shorts: Aullidos (1973 - Jordi Lladó), Los catorce días de una quincena (1973 - Ramon Font), Knock Out (1974 - Jordi Bayona), Taller y obra de Vila Casas (1974 - Jordi Cadena) and Alegría de la confusión (1974 - Jordi Cadena).

Gonzalo Herralde proposed me to co-producer. Carlos Duran made a model production direction. The same year, I produced thanks to the financial contribution of a Terrassa industrial, Tango, a short directed by Mario Gas, that I consider one of the most interesting Teide productions. The film was a show with Guillermina Motta and Enric Barbat singing tangos. It was shot in Zeleste, before this night club became the catalan ‘progres’ meeting place. There was only one problem: Mario Gas –who was filled with enthusiasm– wished to convert it into a long feature. As we had no money enough to make it my relationship with Mario became very tense. Finally, we made an unusual film, and authentic sociologic document. I remark Biel Moll stunning performance and that the film showed Félix Rotaeta, Joaquim Cardona y Fabià Puigcerver as transvestites

That same year I produced the short Por Barcelona (1975 - Marcel·lí Gili) and next year, the shorts  Anta mujer (1976 - Agustí Villalonga), Luna (1976 - Francesc Joan Costa), El calor de Septiembre (1976 - Javier Esteban) and L’Ultim peoner (1976 - Joan Francesc de Lasa).

The good relationship with Banca Catalana and our reliability returning the loan we received for La otra imagen, allowed us to propose a new production. It was called Crónica de un aniversario, a sort or recall of Barça beginnings in the moment of  celebrating its 75th anniversary of its foundation. Miquel Sanz began to write the script and we had at once money enough to make the project but we were aware that the same Barça was making a 16mm. film also about its history and after some doubts and discussions we decided, following Miquel Sanz proposal, to change our project and to make Els Palau,  the history of a catalan bourgeois family that started in 1898 –with the Spanish withdrawal from Cuba– and that finished with Primo de Rivera dictatorship.

Banca Catalana accepted the changed and also accepted to contribute with ten millions pesetas (in that moment a considerable amount of money).  With these good prospects, Miguel Sanz began to write. Some mornings I visited him in the Velodrom, a coffee-house where he worked and where was filling sheet after sheet. I was scared because of the great dimensions that were taking the project and I said that the script that was going out was horrifying long. I especially remember a couple of nights discussing it with Antoni Ribas in his house. As I assume executive producer functions I said that the history must end on the end of the century but later on Miquel Sanz propose me to lengthen it up to the Semana Tràgica (Tragic Week) and I accepted. In fact, this historical fact became the film axis and it was in that moment that its title came out La ciutat cremada (1976).

Even with this shortening, the script was terribly long and our budgets did not fit. My opinion was that we could not finish the film with the money we had. In Jordi Pujol’s office in Banca Catalana, I posed the problem, saying that I should quit and  pass the money to Ribas who was insisting that the film could be made with ten millions. Jordi Pujol said that if I resigned, he would withdraw the money. Antoni Ribas became my shadow during some days, begging me ‘Please, please, do not go away’. Finally, I consented because I did not want to be responsible of not making the film, but I was aware of the problems I assumed.

In fact, we had all unimaginable economic problems and therefore the shooting had to stop several times and the production process was very long. The final economical solution was brought by Josep Espar i Ticó, under the form of private guarantees of bank loans signed by friends and acquaintances. Although that they were assured that there was no danger, it was not true, because they were the responsible with the Bank for the loan granted to the production. I did not like neither those aspects nor some other details and I did not want the association contracts with the warrantors. It was Fernando Repiso, who signed them Repiso was the owner of the production company Leo Films that up to that moment had not produced any film. By my part, I was handing over the proportional part of my propriety in  La ciutat cremada to avoid the sharing liabilities assumed with the contracts I was signing. The final cost of the film was about thrity million pessetes that proved that I was not wrong in my foresights.

Nevertheless, the economic history of the film ended quite well since a series of circumstances –cinematographic and non cinematographic– turned it into a tremendous commercial success. Very satisfied with the Espar formula, I refused to use it again, arguing that it seemed dangerous. Therefore I did not want to participate in next Victoria! Project and seeing the results I’m very glad of my decision.

Teide economic situation was making a satisfactory progress and, by the other hand, once the Franco regime was over, I began again in a new phase marked with a strong activity. In 1997 I produce seven shorts:  El Món de Gaudí (Lluís Racionero), Música-Acción (Manel Montaner), Agost (Francesc Joan i Costa), Lección acelerada de cine (Carles Balagué), Madison  (Carles Jover i Josep S. Salgot), El sopar (Albert Vidal), A, B, C, D, E, F… X, Y, Z. (Sergi Schaaff) and El miting de la llibertat (Josep Maria Forn).

In 1978, and after making the short Valses de otoño (Ferran Llagostera and Josep Lorman), with Eugeni Anglada we set up an unusual operation: to recover three shorts of his first period as amateur filmmaker, made in black and white and 16mm.; to shoot a connection from the beginning to the end, and a new history in 35mm. and color.  The result was La rabia (1978), a very odd production that showed the main character real growing. In the first sequences is a child and in the last a teenager.

After producing the following shorts: El fet migratori i la nova catalanitat (Josep Maria Forn), Actualitats (1978 - Albert Abril) i La festa dels bojos (1978 - Lluís Racionero), that won the Great Prize of Short Films in Cannes Film Festvial, we began a short with Ventura Pons that surprised us. The material we saw in the first shooting days was so good that, filled with enthusiasm, we decide to turn it into a long feature. Ocaña, retrat intermitent (1978).

In this phase, Teide produced a great amount of shorts: Volem L’Estatut (1978 - Angel Cuxart and Manel Barberà), Gnocchi L’Incoformista (1978 - Anna- Maria Miquel), Serenata a la claror de la lluna (1978 - Carles Jover and Josep A. Salgot).

At the same time, I was writing the script of Companys, procés a Catalunya, that was shot next year (1978), poroduced by PROZESA (60%), La Llanterna Films (30%) and Teide with a modest 10%.  I achieved my purpose of having a script –with the collaboration of Ferran Llagostera and Antoni Freixes– that please me completely, writing alone the final and definitive version. Anyway,  during the shooting I had problems with the producers, especially with La Llanterna’s Freixes, whom on day I finished sending him off violentaly from the set. To direct Companys, procés a catalunya gave me great satisfactions. It was selected to compete in Un certain regard in Cannes, in San Sebastián and in Bangalore (where Luis Iriondo won the best male performance  prize) and  to win the Cámara de Oro in the Festival de Cartagena de Indias. But I became involved so strongly in the production and the tangle of interests and collaborations in the last years was so complicarted, that those production works prevented me direct again. That same year, Teide produced another five shorts: El noi que llegia marcuse (Xavier Benlloch), El consumidor, La casa de Odin (Paco Poch), Elies (Xavier Benlloch) and Un drac, Sant Jordi i el cavalier kaskarlata (Joan-Francesc Solivellas).

Those were hard times, from the financial point of view. In 1978, I participated in another four shorts: Cantic de llum i ombra (Anna-Maria Miquel), La Rambla (Jordi Feliu), Un mati qualsevol (1980 - Antoni Verdaguer), Eddie, extraña pedagogía (Francesc Herrera), Nectar de vida (Francisco Herrera), Emma Zunz (José Bellart Colinas)  and D’Un roig encès: Miró i Mont-Roig (Josep Miquel Martí i Rom). And also in long features: El vicari d’Olot (1980 - Ventura Pons), co-produced with Ventura Pons and Josep Lluís Galvarriato (Profilmar); Putapela (1981 - Jordi Bayona), co-produced with Jordi Bayona and a group formed by technicians and actors; Naftalina (Pep Callís), co- produced with Pep Callís and a group of Olot people, and El viatge a L’Última estació (1982 - Albert Abril), co-produced with Albert Abril an also technicians and actors.

En 1981, I changed Teide social address to 3 basement Albigesos, where I set up editing and showing room and the office. Besides, that same year I created another production company with Jordi Tusell, Ferran Llagostera and Ildefons Duran, Centre Promotor de la Imatge (CPI), starting with a long production program composed by forty medium features devoted to Catalunya region,  that also took me a lot of my spare time.

Teide went on producing shorts: Preludi en 4 (1981 - Alexandre Matas); Aixi s’acaba la vida i comencen a sobreviure (1981 - Ferran Llagostera),  Cert…? (1981 - Vicente J. Latre), Tarragona 82 (1982 - that I also directed), Puny Clos (1982 - Ildefons Duran), Parleu despres de sentir la senyal (1982 - Antoni Verdaguer), L’Home atrapat al laberint (1982 - Josep Maria Blanco), Pretèrit perfecte (1982 - Romà Guardiet), Somni d’un carrer (1982 - Joan Martí i Valls), Idil·li xorc (1983 - Romà Guardiet), Underworld (1983 - Antoni Martí i Gich), La casa del pare (1983 - Ferran Llagostera), Festival necrovision (1983 - Jordi Tomàs i Francesc Estrada), Ocell Blau (1984 - Anna-Maria Miquel) and Per un fusell de fusta (1984 - Vicente J. Latre). And also the long feature Un, dos, tres, ensaïmades i res més (1984 - Joan-Francesc Solivellas) co-produced with Profilmar, Joan Olives and S’Oliva Films de Mallorca.

A great amount of private circumstances, the very bad results of the last long feature and my firm will to give a total change to my professional life, made that I froze Teide in 1985. What I could not image then was that the change I wanted (to make Tirant lo blanc)  would convert me precisely into a cinema politician. But that is another history.