Tasio

Tasio
Directed by	Montxo Armendáriz
Screenplay by	Montxo Armendáriz Marisa Ibarra
Produced by	Elías Querejeta
Starring	Patxi Bisquert Isidro José Solano Garikoitz Mendigutxia Amaia Lasa Nacho Martínez José María Asín Paco Sagarzazu Enrique Goicoechea Elena Uriz
Cinematography	José Luis Alcaine
Edited by	Pablo G. del Amo
Music by	Ángel Illarramendi
Production company	Elías Querejeta PC
Release date	19 September 1984 (1984-09-19) (Zinemaldia)
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Tasio is a 1984 Spanish drama film directed by Montxo Armendáriz in his full-length debut and produced by Elías Querejeta. Garikoitz Mendigutxia, Isidro José Solano, and Patxi Bisquert star as the title character, a charcoal burner and poacher, at different times in his life. The film became a staple of Basque cinema.[1]

Plot

The plot follows the life of Tasio, a poacher and charcoal burner moved by a deep conviction of living without being exploited.[2]

Cast

• Patxi Bisquert [es] as Tasio (adult)[3]
• Isidro José Solano as Tasio (teen)[3]
• Garikoitz Mendigutxia as Tasio (child)[3]
• Amaia Lasa as Paulina[3]
• José Mari Asín as Luis[3]
• Nacho Martínez as Tasio's brother[4]
• Paco Sagarzazu as guarda[3]
• Txema Blasco as Ángel[3]
• Elena Uriz [eu] as the mother[5]
• Enrique Goicoechea as the father[5]
• Miguel Rellán as priest[5]

Production

Inspired by the real story of Anastasio Ochoa Ruiz, "Tasio" (1916–1989), the screenplay was penned by Montxo Armendáriz alongside Marisa Ibarra.[6] An Elías Querejeta PC production,[7] the film was fully shot in Spanish rather than Basque.[8] This decision stirred criticism among some Basque milieus.[9] Filming locations included the Urbasa range in Navarre.[3][10]

Release

The film premiered on 19 September 1984 at the 32nd San Sebastián International Film Festival.[11][12]

Reception

The film was enthusiastically received by the public and critics alike.[8]

Diego Galán [es] of El País described Tasio as a "film of haunting beauty".[13]

Nina Darnton of The New York Times pointed out that the film "is undramatic and basically uneventful, but it is never boring".[14]

See also

• List of Spanish films of 1984

References

1. Roldán Larreta, Carlos (2000). "En torno a la obra de Montxo Armendáriz" (PDF). Ikusgaiak. 4: 138.
2. Roldán Larreta, Carlos (1999). "El cine del País Vasco; de Ama Lur (1968) a Airbag (1997)" (PDF). Ikusgaiak. 3: 221.
3. Alejos, Nerea (22 August 2009). "El recuerdo de Tasio 25 años después". Diario de Navarra.
4. Argüelles, José Luis (20 November 2020). "El premio en recuerdo del actor Nacho Martínez deja de entregarse". La Nueva España. Prensa Ibérica.
5. "Ficha técnico artística" (PDF). Un Día de Cine. Gobierno de Aragón. p. 6.
6. Oliveira Lizarribar, Ana (25 April 2025). "Una copia restaurada de 'Tasio', de Montxo Armendáriz, se proyectará en Cannes Classics". Noticias de Navarra.
7. Roldán Larreta 1999, p. 376.
8. Martínez 2023, p. 253.
9. Martínez, Josu (2023). "El euskera en el cine de los años 80: entre la falta de apoyo, la búsqueda del realismo y la condena a la diglosia". Zer. 28 (55): 253. doi:10.1387/zer.24665. hdl:10810/66370.
10. Caparrós Lera, José María (1992). El cine español de la democracia: de la muerte de Franco al "cambio" socialista (1975-1989). Barcelona: Anthropos. p. 270. ISBN 84-7658-312-5.
11. "El carbonero Tasio cumple 25 años". El País. 26 November 2009.
12. Fernández, Harri X. (25 April 2024). "La versión restaurada en 4K de 'Tasio', de Montxo Armendáriz, se estrenará en Cannes". Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
13. Galán, Diego (25 September 1984). "Una película bella y limpia". El País.
14. Darnton, Nina (27 March 1987). "Film: 'Tasio,' a Look at Village Life in Spain's Basque County". The New York Times.