Carlos Blanco Hernández

Carlos Blanco Hernández (28 March 1917 – 1 September 2013) was a Spanish screenwriter who worked extensively in Spanish cinema from the 1940s to the 1970s. He wrote more than twenty screenplays, including historical dramas, crime films, and comedies, and briefly worked in Hollywood for major studios such as Columbia Pictures, RKO, and 20th Century Fox.^[1][2]

Carlos Blanco Hernández was born in Gijón, Asturias, in 1917. He grew up influenced by literature and storytelling, and his early years coincided with a politically turbulent period in Spain. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), Blanco volunteered to fight on the Republican side, serving on the fronts of Málaga, Madrid and Extremadura before being captured and imprisoned in Córdoba. He spent five years in custody, from 1939 until 1944, and after his release he was unable to resume his earlier studies, turning instead to writing as a profession.^[3][2]

After the war, Blanco settled in Madrid and became part of the city's cultural and artistic circles. He was a regular participant in literary and intellectual gatherings at the Café Gijón, where he met writers and artists such as Antonio Buero Vallejo, Enrique Jardiel Poncela, Miguel Mihura and José Luis López Vázquez. It was during this period that he began writing screenplays, winning a screenwriting contest with Don Beltrán de la Cueva in 1946, which led to his first professional work in cinema and marked the beginning of a long career as a screenwriter.^[3][4]

Blanco began his professional career as a screenwriter in the mid-1940s. His first credited screenplay was Cuando llegue la noche (1946), directed by Jerónimo Mihura. Shortly afterwards, he wrote La princesa de los Ursinos (1947), which was acquired by CIFESA, the leading Spanish production company of the period.^[3]

His major breakthrough came with Locura de amor (1948), a historical drama about Joanna of Castile that became a commercial success in Spain and Latin America. The film established Blanco as one of the leading Spanish screenwriters of the postwar era.^[3]

During the late 1940s and 1950s, Blanco collaborated frequently with director José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, writing screenplays such as Las aguas bajan negras (1948) and Don Juan (1950). He also wrote Los peces rojos (1955), directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde, which is often cited as a landmark of Spanish film noir and contributed to his international recognition.^[5]

In the mid-1950s, Blanco worked in the United States on several projects for Columbia Pictures, RKO, and 20th Century Fox, although many of these screenplays were not produced. He later returned to Spain, where he continued writing and founded his own production company, Oscar Films.^[2]

One of his final major works was Don Quijote cabalga de nuevo (1973), starring Fernando Fernán Gómez and Cantinflas. His later film Hierba salvaje (1977) marked the end of his screenwriting career.^[1]

Carlos Blanco Hernández was known for his versatility and his ability to write both historical dramas and crime films. His work is particularly noted for its narrative clarity and strong character development. Although he remained largely behind the scenes, he is regarded as an important figure in classic Spanish cinema.^[5]

He received several honors late in his life, including the Medal of Fine Arts in 2004 and a tribute at the Valladolid International Film Festival in 2001.^[2]

Carlos Blanco Hernández died in Madrid on 1 September 2013 at the age of 96.^[2]