He won on March 24 and became a symbol of memory: Key Highlights

Today, exactly 40 years ago, The official story won the Oscar from the Hollywood Academy for the best film spoken in a foreign language, as the award that today is given to the best “international” film was known then.

It was 8:20 p.m. in Los Angeles (1:20 a.m. in Argentina; the ceremony started much later than now) on that Sunday, March 24.

The film of Luis Puenzowith Norma Aleandro, Hector AlterioChunchuna Villafañe, Hugo Arana, Patricio Contreras and Chela Ruiz, in the central roles, plus the girl Analía Castro, and Pablo Rago (the only actor who is in the two Argentine films that won the Oscar, since he also participated in The secret of his eyesby Juan José Campanella) won the most important award that Argentine cinema could aspire to for the first time in its entire history.

And he did it an exact decade after the military coup that on March 24, 1976overthrew María Estela Martínez de Perón.

Luis Puenzo came from advertising films – he had directed a famous one for Peugeot 505 in Paris, one for Cinzano, and in 1976 one for the La Favorite store, in Rosario, with Adriana Aguirre -, although before The official story He had debuted as a film director with Lights from my shoes (1973) and had directed one of the segments of The surprises (1975). When he took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion that March 24, he had just turned 40 years old.

And, visibly moved, he remembered the event when he accepted the golden statuette, given to him by Jack Valenti – known as Boom Boom, then president of the powerful United States Film Association, which brings together the largest Hollywood studios -, who was accompanied by Norma Aleandro. His actress had announced from the stage that The Official Story was the winner.

With his glasses, his mustache and his beard, with a black bow, Puenzo – after hugging Aleandro – said: “At the same time that I am here, on this stage, accepting this honor, I cannot help but remember that another March 24, ten years ago today… (he paused) we suffered the last military coup in our country. We will never forget this nightmare, but now we are beginning to have new dreams. Thank you”.

Aleandro had already said the famous three words, when reading the title of the winning film when he opened (destroyed) the envelope (“God bless You”, God bless you).

“We were doing press there days ago, we went with plenty of time, we had been to the Golden Globe and we stayed – Aleandro recalled -. They came to talk to me to present the award for the foreign film. That’s when I thought ‘they’re not giving it to us’. Because it’s very rare that the person who is going to announce takes the award.”

“On the day of the award I had not brought my glasses. When I opened the envelope, the handwriting was small and I had to move the card away. It started with Official Storyand I was used to The official story; I didn’t think it was in English. When I realized that it was our film, I said the famous ‘God bless you’, which came from my soul, because it was a vindication of everything that had happened to us.”

Filming began in 1983, the same year that the military dictatorship ended in our country. It was canceled due to threats received by the director, the actors and, in particular, Analía Castro’s family. The cancellation was announced, but production continued in secret until 1985, in Luis Puenzo’s own house in Acassuso. The bed Aleandro is in is the bed where Puenzo and his wife, Nora, slept. And the actors’ dressing rooms were their children’s bedrooms.

The plot of the emblematic film focused on the marriage of Alicia Marnet de Ibáñez (Norma Aleandro), a high school history teacher, and Roberto (Héctor Alterio), a successful lawyer. They both have an adopted daughter, Gaby (played by Analía Castro, who was 4 years old when she filmed it). Little by little, Alicia begins to suspect that Gaby is the daughter of missing people.

The gala of that 58th ceremony was presented by Alan Alda, Jane Fonda and Robin Williams. And it was the turn of the comedian Dad forever introduce those who were going to announce the winner (previously it was said The winner is…not like now, when the advertisement begins with The Oscar goes to….).

The official story was nominated for another Oscar, that of best original screenplay, which was signed Puenzo with his teenage friend Aída Bortnikwhich would take Witness in dangerPeter Weir’s film, starring Harrison Ford.

Because what a year it was, 1986, when films like the aforementioned Peter Weir thriller were awarded. my Africaby Sidney Pollack, won 7 Oscars, relegating to The color purpleby Steven Spielberg, which of its eleven nominations did not win a single statuette.

They were also with different candidates Spider Woman’s Kiss, back to the future, The honor of the Prizzi, Brazil, Train escape, Cocoon, Agnes of God and Ranby Akira Kurosawa. And Amy Madigan, who this year won best supporting actress for The time of disappearancecompeted in the same field for Twice in a lifetimeand lost to Anjelica Huston by The honor of the Prizzi.

AND The official story It was imposed on films and filmmakers who already had the recognition of critics and the public at that time. Were bitter harvestby Agnieszka Holland, who represented West Germany; Dad went on a business tripby Emir Kusturica, for the then Yugoslavia; comedy Three men and a bottleby Coline Serreau (France) and Colonel Redlby István Szabó, for Hungary.

Precisely Puenzo, who was dealing with nerves – something visible even at the moment of his thanks on stage – when Aleandro said “God bless You”, he understood Colonel Redl…

and almost no one remembers that the documentary The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayoby Susana Blaustein Muñoz and Lourdes Portillo, competed precisely in the best documentary category. He didn’t win.

Almost a year earlier, the film had competed at the Cannes Film Festivalin May 1985. And at the award ceremony, Norma Aleandro won the award for best leading actress, shared with Cher, for Mask. AND The official story It had also won the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival, and the Golden Globe for best foreign film. In total, the film won 25 national and international awards.

The first film nominated for an Oscar had been The truce (1974). It had been directed by Sergio Renán, who had written the adaptation of Mario Benedetti’s novel with Aída Bortnik. It starred Héctor Alterio and Ana María Picchio, two office workers who fell in love despite the age difference. At the 1975 ceremony, the year of The Godfather IIthere was no luck, and the Oscar for best film spoken in a foreign language went to Amcordby Federico Fellini.

The second Argentine film to be a candidate was Camillajust a year before The official story. The film by María Luisa Bemberg, with Susú Pecoraro, whose character fell in love with the priest played by Imanol Arias, also had Alterio in an important role, that of the father of the young protagonist. In the ceremony in which everything was taken away Amadeusby Milos Forman, the winner – quite a surprise – was the Swiss dangerous gamesby Frenchman Richard Dembo, with Michel Piccoli and Liv Ullmann.

Argentina had never won a Hollywood Academy Award. AND the third was the charm.