(Project Laszlo & Laszlo contains a smaller version of this article)
"Movies" are about the three films that have been created from Andres Laszlo Senior's texts and scripts, and the absence of payment from the corporations that have broadcast these films (or from the individuals/organisations that have sold the rights to these broadcasting corporations, "forgetting" about my father and his rights to royalties as a writer/co-writer of original text and/or film script). "Scripts" concern the potential for new films/scripts: a new adaptation of Paco Never Fails, a script for Mother Unknown, an animated version of My Uncle Jacinto, discovering new script ideas in The Laszlo & Laszlo Chronicles which contains 45 short stories, and the possibility of staging Dona Juana as a theatre play or musical. Additionally, my The Challenge already exists as a script. VIDEO
A. MOVIES
1. MY UNCLE JACINTO
My father wrote the book Mi Tio Jacinto/My Uncle Jacinto and also the script for the movie together with Ladislao Vajda. As the movie became a blockbuster and remains popular—often featured as part of "Spain's 5 or 10 best movies ever"—there ought to be considerable outstanding royalties from the film's broadcasting, especially in the Hispanic world. The Spanish "SGAE" seems willing to pay me only for the most recent showings (though I am not 100% certain), and the Italians (it was a Spanish-Italian co-production) have, as far as I know, not paid me anything. I know nothing about South America and the rest of the world, and apart from SGAE’s royalty payments of 2 x €2500, I have received nothing since my father's demise in 1985. Now a resident of Spain, I see that the movie is still popular and is aired not only on Spanish and Mexican television but also in various South and Central American countries, Italy, France, and other European nations. Therefore, there should be plenty of royalties to be collected. SACD (the French) states that although Senior was a member, no My Uncle Jacinto is registered with them (though Der Drennende Radfahrer is).
2. PACO NEVER FAILS
Andres Laszlo Sr. wrote the book Paco el Seguro/Paco Never Fails, and he co-wrote the script with Dedier Haudepin, who also directed. However, it seems that Senior is not credited for his contribution to the script or for writing the book. The book/script was turned into a great film, but due to contractual complications, it initially never got shown outside of Spain. Together with director Dedier Haudepin and my then-agent George Hoffman, I tried to acquire the rights for outside Spain, but without success. However, it appears that Allain Katz succeeded where we failed, and I have a contract with Mr Katz, negotiated by George Hoffman, that grants me ownership of the broadcasting rights for the Scandinavian countries. Nevertheless, I have never received the Beta copy that the contract stipulates I shall receive, nor the money that I am owed. There should be royalties from Paco not only from Spain but also from France and possibly from elsewhere. The Spanish SGAE has Paco el Seguro registered, but SACD (the French script-writers organisation) states that although Senior was a member, no Paco Never Fails is registered with them (though Der Drennende Radfahrer is).
3. SIN UNIFORME
Senior collaborated on the script (the story aspect) for this movie with Eugenio Montes (the dialogue aspect). It was released in 1950, and I have no knowledge regarding the rights and royalties. However, this movie is registered with SACD; I suspect it might be Der Drennende Radfahrer.
B. SCRIPTS
4. PACO NEVER FAILS
Gallimard (Prune Berge/TV5) 1999-2002 called me to Paris at least twice to sign contracts (€200,000 to €270,000) allowing for new adaptations of the original text (into new films), but both times it came to nothing (mainly because I was foolish). Nevertheless, this suggests that Paco could be the basis for new adaptations for the screen. Additionally, a new and significantly improved English text is now available for script adaptation, which hopefully can attract some English-language interest. If you have read the book and are considering making contact, you might be interested to know that in the new version, more suspicion has been cast on Ricardo and the importance of "the blue circle" has been emphasised.
5. MOTHER UNKNOWN
This, Senior's first major novel, he was turning into a script at the time of his demise, but although I have the correspondence, I have lost the script. However, whether or not it is recovered, this is a text from which good cinema could be made. I, Junior, have done new translations of Paco el Seguro and My Uncle Jacinto, but although the original translation of Paco wasn't the best, I have not been able to improve on either of these in any significant way. However, Mother Unknown - also published as Donde los Vientos Duermes, Mere Inconnue & Die Mutter Meinen Shones - is a completely different kettle of fish. Here, Senior is still "unfinished" as a writer and remarkably "improvable." I finished "translating while adapting" this text from Spanish to English in 2017, and although I realise it sounds presumptuous, I am fairly sure that I have turned it into a better story and a stronger basis for a script. Considering that the text was a "hit" or, at worst, a "near miss" in the 1980s, I feel there should be a good chance that my adaptation into English will do well, especially as the text has until now not been available in English at all.
6. MY UNCLE JACINTO/ANIMATION
Honestly, how many best-selling children's novels—translated into nine languages and adapted into a blockbuster movie that has never been animated—do you know of? Well, I know of only one: My Uncle Jacinto. It is true that I ought to have been more proactive in promoting my father's texts earlier. Still, My Uncle Jacinto would make for an absolutely outstanding animated film, and as the Spanish are excellent animators nowadays, perhaps it should be produced in my new home country.
7. DONA JUANA
As I finished translating this "theatre script dressed us to read like a novella," I was amazed. This is world-class—likely explained at least in part by the fact that my father was a theatre director back in Austro-Hungary, not only for theatre but also, a fortiori, for operetta and opera. With some effort, it could be rewritten for three men and a woman (three plus one is much easier), and only two scenes are required. Marcel Marceau starred in a mime version in Paris.
8. THE CHALLENGE
The Challenge is my adaptation of My Uncle Jacinto, where the 1950s, Madrid, and bullfighting transform into 2010s, Cape Town, and boxing. The book, which is currently available in six languages, aspires to become a successful film, and a script exists in English; however, more on this can be found under the heading: The Challenge: Script. I sought a production grant from RFF (with producer Tim Spring), and I was informally informed that it had been a near miss, primarily due to what they interpreted as a "Hollywood ending."
9. THE LASZLO & LASZLO CHRONICLES
I have written 23 short stories of my own, and I have translated/adapted 23 of Senior's short stories. I gathered these stories from two sources: (i) My father's "Solo el Paisaje Cambia"/"Tout Passe..." which are both available on Amazon as a collection of short stories, first published just before Andres Laszlo Sr.'s three major novels, and (ii) I, Andres Laszlo Jr., have had some rather interesting experiences of my own - primarily as people and animals have attempted to put a premature end to my existence - and I have written 23 short stories based on this and other intriguing topics and experiences. I have now joined my short stories with my father's, producing The Laszlo & Laszlo Chronicle, and today several of our short stories read quite well as (film) scenarios/treatments.