Though loved by moviegoers worldwide, Spanish cinema has thus far suffered from a relative lack of critical attention. Focusing on the vast corpus of films that have left their marks on generations of spectators, Directory of World Cinema: Spain returns the national cinema of Spain rightfully to the forefront with numerous full-colour stills and essays establishing the key players and genres in their sociopolitical context, including civil war films, romances, comedies and the cinema of the transition. From the award-winning big-budget productions of Pedro Almodóvar in Madrid to Pere Portabella’s experimental documentaries and the influential Barcelona School, reviews cover individual titles in considerable depth. Essential reading for aficionados of Spanish cinema at all levels, this volume provides an accessible overview of the main trends and issues in Spanish film.
One feature of this book which should not be underestimated is its beauty. Every section is introduced with a full-page film still and other photos pepper the pages, showing off some of the most iconic images in Spanish cinema. ... It is a pleasure to pick up and leaf through
Film of the Year: Biutiful
Interview with Jaime Rosales
Industry Spotlight: Spanish Film Production
Cultural Crossover: Influence of European Avant-garde
Representations of Violence: Don Quixote Visual Ridings
Festival Focus: Semana de Cine Experimental de Madrid / Experimental Film Week of Madrid
Film Location: Madrid
Directors Edgar
Neville Fernando Fernán-Gómez
Carlos Saura
Víctor Erice
Pedro Almodóvar
Auteur Melodrama/Melodrama de autor
Grotesque Comedy/Esperpento
Iberian Drama
Musical (But Not Only Flamenco…)
Period Films/De época
Dictatorship
Forgotten Cinema
The Transition to Democracy Cinema/Cine de La Transición
Crime and Thriller
Fantasy and Horror
Experimental Documentary