A trip to the Costa del Sol for an Oscar

The romantic comedy A Touch of Glass is the only Oscar-winning film where the Costa del Sol is not only part of the plot but also the location for filming. In 1973, the British film was nominated for five Academy Awards. However, the only Oscar awarded was rejected.

The film was adapted from the story She Loves Me, She Told Me So Last Night by Melvyn Frank, who actually directed the film. The adventure began one rainy afternoon. Vicky, a divorced mother, shared a cab with a strange man. The encounter with the American executive, Steve, was repeated the next day over tea and then lunch. As Steve was married, it was a relationship without commitment. When it came to sex, Vicky preferred to have uncomplicated sex in a sunny place. Steve had no choice but to organise a trip to… the Costa del Sol. The stay in Marbella was hilarious at times and finally did not go as planned.

The British production crew with British actress Glenda Jackson and American actor George Segal arrived in the Costa del Sol in 1972 for filming mostly in Malaga and Marbella. For example, the bullfighting scenes were filmed in the Malagueta bullring where Segal emotionally covered his eyes so as not to see the matador fighting the bull. The Guadalmina Hotel in Marbella was also part of this film by hosting the unfaithful couple.

Apparently, Jackson and Segal felt so comfortable and natural on the Costa del Sol that the chemistry that arose between the actors during their dialogues, became the very engine that set this comedy in motion. In addition, Glenda Jackson easily managed to be very different at the same time - powerful and vulnerable, fragile and strong, skilfully combining seduction and repellency.

A Touch of Glass had its world premiere in London in May 1973. On the Costa del Sol, the film was first shown under the Spanish title Un Toque de Distinción (A Touch of Distinction), on the big screen in the second passenger terminal of Malaga Airport, which opened in 1972.

The acting of the main characters in the film was very well received by critics. Both actors won a Golden Globe. In addition, the film was nominated for an Oscar in five categories but only awarded for Best Actress. This was also a surprise because the frontrunners in the category were Marsha Mason for Cinderella Liberty or Ellen Burstyn for The Exorcist. Moreover, it is reported that Glenda Jackson's Best Actress Academy Award win for the sweet and sour comedy was so shocking to viewers of the ceremony that a recount was considered for the votes.

Glenda Jackson did not attend the ceremony in Los Angeles to receive her second Oscar (Three years earlier, Jackson had won the Academy Award for Women in Love). The actress later confessed that she was ‘absolutely against’ an Oscar for A Touch of Glass. She stated that she had done absolutely nothing to receive such a high award. Additionally, she recalled that someone once told her that winning an Oscar was like winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Glenda disagreed because she thought that if you win a gold medal, you know everyone ran the same distance.

Incidentally, Glenda Jackson was recognised as the best actress of the year in Spain as well. The San Sebastián International Film Festival awarded the English actress as well as Melvin Frank for Best Director.