It’s now 30 years since José Luis Garci won Spain its first Oscar for Begin the Beguine. In the interim, he has made another 14 films, the latest of which, now on general release, is Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days. That 1982 Oscar gave a much-need boost to the Spanish film industry — even though the film had been panned by the critics and was a commercial flop — and, along with hosting the World Cup and Felipe González’s election win the same year, ushered in a lengthy period of national self-confidence now in tatters after the implosion of the economy. For Garci himself, winning an Academy Award must have been especially gratifying: this is a man for whom Hollywood, and particularly … [Read more...] about José Luis Garci’s Sherlock Holmes is out to rescue Spain