Edgar Neville


Edgar Neville Romrée, Count of Berlanga de Duero was a Spanish playwright and film director, a member of the "other" Generation of '27.

Biography

Neville was born in Madrid but lived in Hollywood in the 1930s, in the period of the dubbed Spanish versions of the studios' English-language films. He wrote dialogue for MGM's Spanish language films, and won acclaim for his script adapted from George Hill's The Big House. During the Spanish Civil War, Neville made a few short propaganda films for the Nationalist side. He also made three movies in Rome. The films he directed in the 1940s and 1950s mixed realism and romanticism, but did not perform particularly well at the box-office.

Family

Parents

His father was Edward Neville Riddlesdale, an English engineer who was director of his family's engine company in Spain. His mother was Mary Romrée y Palacios, daughter of Count and Countess de Berlanga de Duero, a title he would later inherit.

Marriage

Edgar Neville married Ángeles Rubio Argüelles y Alessandri. Their son, Raphael Neville, Count of Berlanga de Duero was a painter who, in 1958, created a seaside resort in Sardinia, called "Porto Rafael", where his birthday is still celebrated every year on 11 August. Upon his return to Spain, Neville directed La señorita de Trevélez, and it was hailed one of the best films of its time.

Filmography