Married to a carballesa, he has a long career linked to
the big screen
La Voz de Galicia
By Fran Rodríguez Patricia Blanco
12/29/2017
Radio Voz Bergantiños yesterday opened its doors to the
cinema. Francisco Ardura Rojo, aka Paco Ardura, (Madrid, 1933), and his
daughter, Lorena, approached the studio. Ardura, married to a carballesa, has
just been honored by the Spanish Film Academy for his professional career
linked to cinematography. It is the first of its scope with this merit: "I
have been preceded by great people, but this did not come to them. I've been a
lucky one," he says. Now he can participate in the nominations for the
Goya. Perhaps little known by the general public, yes it is by the professionals
of the sector, since he has participated in many films, some with Goya and
Óscar. His link is the horses, carriages and chariots that have been seen on
numerous occasions on the big screen. He is the owner of Fort Bravo (Almería),
where there has been shot many films.
It was in 1954, he said, when we shot the first film,
with Victor Mature. He was in the mili in Larache and signed himself up as a
horseman: "That's where I got the hang of it and decided to change my life
and to dedicate myself to the cinema." Back in Madrid, he started
"doing things". "Everything", because he became the head of
production. They offered him a fixed position as such, in the Canary Islands,
but he had already started in the world of horses and wanted to continue with
his passion. He worked 14 years for a company and became independent next to
Juan Maján, to finally end up taking the reins of everything, now relieved to a
certain extent by his children, "although you never retire from
this."
Ardura has developed his profession alongside directors
such as Spielberg, David Lynch, Sergio Leone and Anthony Mann. However, if he
had to stay with one, it would be with Enzo Castellari, with whom he became
good friends: "I had a real admiration for him. For me he is the one that
has directed the action the best, the one that has handled the best specialists
and special effects, " he says. He shared work and time, likewise, with
Ridley Scott: "We both smoked Monte Cristo cigars."
Paco's horses have been in movies like “Gladiator” and “Braveheart”,
among others, and have caused a sensation among the actors. Remember an
anecdote with Hurácan, a pure Spanish black racer that conquered Stallone, who
rode him in Rambo III. "All the horses had to be moved to Israel for the
shooting. He was in love with Hurricane. The producer asked me to sell it to
him, because it was necessary to continue filming in New Mexico, and he put so
much pressure on me that I finally agreed, but later we found he had come down
with the equine plague, so he could not take it. Hurricane had to stay here and
then was used in “Indiana Jones”. The horse of Curro Jiménez or the one Águila
Roja also has the seal of Ardura. Likewise, his wagons and chariots have
participated in films such as “The Fall of the Roman Empire”, “Gladiator”, “Asterix
and Obelix” (in which he actually appeared on screen) and “Golfus of Rome”. The
restoration of carriages (until the 18th century) has been a necessity for his
work, but he is also encouraged with the tasks and, he says, he can dedicate
spare time to sanding and painting. He also furnished the garrisons of the
horses of “Ben-Hur”.
In cinema, as in everything, things have changed:
"We are talking about times when, if you wanted to see a thousand horses
in a movie, like in “Lawrence of Arabia”, you had to put it on. “The Battle of
Cleopatra” was shot with 1,150. Today, maybe, there are 40 or 50. The result
may look good, but some people notice it, laughs Ardura. The business,
therefore, has "hit a slump", but he continues. Although retired, he
continues to supervise participation in a "very nice" project with
director Alberto Rodríguez (“La Isla Mínima”, “The Man with the Thousand Faces
...”): it will be a series for television set in sixteenth-century Andalusia.
He has also worked in Galicia and, in fact, remembers that the best medieval
tournament was in the Obradoiro.
He has received several tributes, such as the National
Association of Purebred Spanish Horse Breeders. He has also been able to forge
friendships with professionals of the stature of Gil Parrondo -the only
Spaniard with two Oscars and four Goyas-, who passed away this passed away on
the 24th of December. With him, a native of Luarca, like the father
of Ardura, he made several films, from “Los Ghosts from Goya” to “Patton”,
among others: “I met him 60 years ago. He was still working at 95, and still
drawing by hand". Ardura's daughter, Lorena, was his assistant for the
past 16 years: "It imposes a lot of work with the geniuses," she said
on Radio Voz.
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