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HIS MASTER´S VOICE. Emilio Martínez-Lázaro (Press-book of the film).

LA VOZ DE SU AMO

The first building block of the story consisted of its leading characters: an honest, young man who falls in love with the teenage daughter of the corrupt entrepreneur for whom he works. I became interested in the problem of loyalty, which such a situation generated. The protagonist must decide between being faithful to the entrepreneur who has protected him for many years and who became wealthy in a shady way, or to break up with everything, confront the crisis that surrounds him and recover his self-esteem. There lies the origin of the story. It isn't based on real events. It is a conflict very much along the lines of a noir film.

I like films wherein mysteries and crimes accumulate without the viewers suspecting what is going to happen at the end. In "La voz de su amo" (The Voice of his Master) I tried to do something similar. I used the same cinematographic reference points as other directors fascinated by noir cinema: from Hitchcock to "Chinatown" used. Curiously, one of the things that encouraged me most to continue working on the project was the success attained by "L.A. Confidential", a film that revitalizes classical noir schemes. 

Right from the start I wanted Silvia Abascal to play the role of Marta. She has a voice and a way of talking that are very special. She conveys the impression that she is very fragile and sweet, but then behaves like a very quick-witted young woman, who plays at being a little girl when it suits her. I hope the spectators feel as attracted towards her as in the case of Charlie. Actor Eduard Fernández, on the other hand, is someone who can be rough and affectionate at the same time. He has a melancholic smile and a sad look, but he knows how to speak like a tough guy. 

The love story is encouraged by her; she who seduces him. Charlie is trapped; he doesn't know how to get out of the situation and it takes time for him to react. When he does, the big conflict in the film arises and they are united by something that isn't exactly love [...]

I realized that the atmosphere around ETA (the Basque Terrorist pro-Independence group), particularly in the early 1980s, was the best possible setting for the film as far as the action was concerned. It is a suitable atmosphere for violence and corruption. There, the characters of the bodyguard and the girl would stand out like a couple of odd birds amid a big bunch of scoundrels.

In the film, the corrupted policemen behave like corrupted policemen and the terrorists act like real terrorists. I needn't give my opinion in that regard. Their deeds speak for themselves. Other than that, as people they can be friendly, unfriendly, ugly, attractive, rich or poor….just like in real life.

EMILIO MARTÍNEZ - LÁZARO.