Death of a Cyclist

Death of a Cyclist is considered the first film made during the Franco era to look at the Spanish Civil War from a perspective other than that of the victorious side, with director Juan Antonio Bardem reinterpreting the Ciudad Universitaria, a key Civil War battleground, following the approach he began in his short film Paseo por una guerra antigua (1949).

The film was shot in Madrid and its surroundings, particularly at the Ciudad Universitaria.

The student demonstration scene, which foreshadowed the actual anti-Franco student protests of 1956, was filmed in the interior courtyard of the CSIC building specifically to avoid the gaze of passersby and onlookers.

In one memorable scene, flamenco singer Gracia Montes performs the fandango 'Amor, ¿por qué no viniste, amor?', but the version includes verses from Pepe Pinto's fandango 'Yo quisiera ser vaquero' that were recorded live for the film, differing from the version on the original record.

The film was first released in the United States under the title 'Age of Infidelity' before becoming known as Death of a Cyclist.

Spanish censorship under Franco rated the film for viewers over 16, while the Catholic Church gave it a rating of 4, classifying it as 'gravely dangerous.'

The film won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival and the Photography Award from the Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos for Alfredo Fraile.

American critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times panned the film in a contemporary review, criticizing its 'weird plotting' and jump-cut style, while Geoffrey Warren of the Los Angeles Times gave it a generally favorable review calling it 'excellent melodrama.'

On December 26, 2024, Spanish national radio RNE premiered an audio drama adaptation of Bardem's film in four episodes, directed by Benigno Moreno with a script by Alfonso Latorre, starring Aura Garrido, Fernando Cayo, Pedro Casablanc, Víctor Clavijo and Carmen Ruiz.