The University of Alicante (UA) is celebrating the centenary of actor Francisco Rabal's birth with an exhibition titled Centenario Francisco Rabal. This showcase highlights over five decades of Rabal's professional journey through a selection of original graphic materials related to his cinematic and theatrical career, both in Spain and internationally.
The exhibition, curated by UA professor John Sanderson, will be open from 29 October to 16 December in the Sala Miguel Hernández at the Ciudad Universitaria de Alicante. The opening event will take place on Thursday, 29 October, at 19:30 and will feature a guided tour led by the curator, alongside a talk by Benito Rabal, the actor's son. Benito will share insights from his professional and personal experiences with his father, providing a deeper understanding of the artistic and human dimensions of one of Spain's most prominent acting figures.
The exhibition includes original film posters, promotional guides, photograms, brochures, and magazines, all of which trace the evolution of Francisco Rabal's career through the materials used to promote his films and theatrical productions. It also offers a glimpse into the various methods of film distribution across different eras and the international projection of the actor.
Among the notable pieces are posters from films made between the 1950s and 1980s, such as La gran mentira and Camorra, contacto en Nápoles, as well as Mexican posters for titles like Nazarín and Viridiana. These materials illustrate the differences between film markets and advertising strategies in various countries, particularly in a context where censorship influenced the distribution of certain productions in Spain.
The exhibition also features promotional guides for films such as El hombre de la isla, filmed in the province of Alicante, along with brochures from the 1950s and 1960s from local cinemas, including the Ideal Cinema in Alicante, the Gran Teatro in Elche, and the Teatro Circo in Alcoy. These items connect Rabal's career with the history of film exhibition in the region.
The displayed materials come from John Sanderson's private collection. Sanderson is the academic director of the Master's in Applied Dramatic Arts, a professor in the Department of English Philology, and a researcher specialising in Francisco Rabal. He has dedicated part of his work to collecting and documenting materials related to the actor. In 2012, he created a virtual archive dedicated to Rabal's career, hosted by the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, and in 2014, he published the book Sed de más: La cinematografía internacional de Francisco Rabal, both of which contribute to the recovery and dissemination of the actor's legacy.
