Spanish Journey Part One
7. Madrid by night

Narrator
Madrid is obsessed with fame and the lives of the jet set. There is a large circulation of gossip magazines that keep tabs on them. A newcomer to this world is Alejandro Amenábar, the director of the film "Open your eyes".

Robert Elms
You are so young, you're only 23!

Alejandro Amenábar 
No, I was 23 when I made my first film. That was three years ago. I'm 26 now.

Robert Elms
But 26 is still young, it's younger than normal.

Alejandro Amenábar
It's true that 23 is quite young to start making movies, but I don't think age matters in the film world. It all depends on whether you feel like telling a story and someone believes in you. This has also happened in novel-writing, there are some very young authors who are published out there.

Robert Elms
What is the story line of "Open your eyes"?

Alejandro Amenábar
"Open your eyes" is the story of a young man who is getting on well in life and then suddenly, because of an accident, everything starts to go haywire and he starts developing a paranoia. It's really a story about alienation, how in a big city like Madrid, any city, there comes a moment when you start to feel like a stranger - a stranger in your own city. That is what I wanted to examine. I wanted to look at Madrid as a city that even its own inhabitants find strange. It is set in Madrid, but obviously could be in any big city. As for the Gran Vía, it's the one street that most captures the essence of Madrid and just looking at it you could never imagine it to be empty, so it was amusing to try do just that, which we managed to do.

Robert Elms
And it is where all the cinemas are?

Alejandro Amenábar
That's right, I used to stroll down here as a child with my parents looking at all the bill hoardings and I never imagined that one day one of my own movies would show here.

Robert Elms
Thanks very much Alejandro Amenábar, let's head for the movie house!

Alejandro Amenábar
Let's go!

[music]

Narrator
If you're on the lookout for the rich and famous, the best place to catch them in flesh and blood is at the capital's cinemas during the Thursday night premières.

[music]

Narrator
Things start happening at 11pm in Madrid. The frenetic city nightlife kicks off and everyone is there to participate, adults and children alike. There is something there for everyone.

[music]

Narrator
For those that are nostalgic for Old Madrid, Olga Ramos continues to sing her lyrical verses.

Robert Elms
Olga, what exactly is the 'cuplé'?

Olga
What we call the 'cuplé' is a complex genre that can make people laugh, cry or relate to Madrid and get back to their roots. Or it can make them feel military, for instance, if I sing: "When the drums roll and with the sound of the tararí..." That is the cuplé, very varied, complex and difficult.

[music]

Robert Elms
Is it an old Madrid tradition? 

Olga
It spread in Spain, but it isn't from Madrid - it's of French origin. They sang it all over Spain but in the big cities like Barcelona and Madrid, as the latter had good theatres, it caught on much more.

Robert Elms
But today we only find it in Madrid, don't we?

Olga
Only in the Olgas, I'd say.

[music]

Olga
The cuplé has come to roost in this old corner of Madrid: it has found refuge here.

[music]

Narrator
The party is on and it is not going to stop - from the old-time melodies to the disco beat - until the sun is up!

[music]