MoMA and the oeuvre of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar

Now Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar made it into a museum. The art temple that also covers the film world presented all works of the film director from November 29 through December 17, 2016. Being the theme of a MoMA show was yet another honor for Almodóvar, who has already received Oscars, European Film Prizes and Palme d'Ors.

His 20th movie, "Julieta," hit US movie theaters in late December 2016. The exhibition offered New Yorkers the very first opportunity to watch the melodrama about a woman and her unhappy relationship with her daughter. "Julieta" opens the MoMA retrospective on works by Almodóvar. The filmmaker himself was on hand to present his work.

In general, European filmmakers first need to receive an Oscar before US audiences take any particular notice of them. In 2000, Almodóvar managed precisely that. He was awarded an Oscar for Best Foreign Film for "All About My Mother."

The MoMA show enabled American audiences to take a look at earlier and less well-known Almodóvar films. His early films tend to be even wilder and crazier than the later ones. One particular theme seems to dominate the entire oeuvre of the Spanish filmmaker, and that is "The Labyrinth of Passion" - which is also the title of his second movie from 1982.

One good reason why Almodóvar's films enjoy a lot of popularity is that they tend to present beautiful women in a positive way. The Spanish filmmaker likes to work with the same actresses - and some of them became stars thanks to him. Although Penélope Cruz wasn't discovered by Almodóvar, she owes him some of her best performances - like in "Volver" (2006).

Almodóvar also attributes important roles to his male stars. In 2011, Antonio Banderas starred in "The Skin I Live In" as a surgeon dreaming of a "better" human skin - an idea he also put into practice. In Almodóvar's films, male protagonists tend to be characters driven by a particular vision - or by love.

Antonio Banderas also performed in Almodóvar's early work "Matador" (1986) where he played a young torero. Many of Almodóvar's films feature Spanish customs and traditions, as the filmmaker loves to play with the clichés of his home country.

Almodóvar's films are known for their particular visual effects. Fixtures and décors play a big role, as demonstrated here by a scene out of "The Skin I Live In." Loud and trendy, shrill and always extraordinary in some way - that's why many of his films have reached a worldwide audience, also in the US.