The Filmmakers Contributions

Examine the contributions of Spanish film makers since the 1978, to the development of this art form
Spanish cinema is an art form that has been developing since the first day it arrived in Spain and since 1896 (Maps of the world 2009) it has been a major feature of Spanish Culture. With cinema rapidly increasing and the amount of theatres reaching to almost 3000 by 1930’s (Jordan 2002) visual culture of Spain became a massive demand for Spaniards. With the rising of Francisco Franco and the Civil War rules towards film making were really powerful and with censorship being put up towards propaganda war and documentaries cinema was discouraged. Not only after Franco’s death that cinema became again a major factor of Spain and film makers such has Pedro Almodóvar, Fernando Fernán – Gómez, Vicente Aranda, Julio Medem and Jesús Franco began making films with genres that suited them and because censorship was withdrawn it was easier for them because they didn’t have to worry about being caught. In this essay I’m going to write about these four directors and how they contribute to cinema after the 80’s until nowadays and also relate how the Madrid Movida and the breakout affected how directors started making movies the way the did.
After Franco’s death the whole concept of Spanish cinema changed dramatically. The censorship that was given in during the dictatorship which banned film-makers to make films with sexual, political or violent contents was finally removed in 1977 (Jordan 2005). By being removed the film industry assumed that it would bring Spanish cinema democratization to match the development of the country and a solid future. With censorship being removed it also made films that were banned in previous decades being released which produced a new national cinema and improved the way of film making to new generations of directors in Spain as well it developed in ways that directors from the Franco´s period made films and saw the film industry like Pedro Almodóvar or Alex de la Iglesia.
Pedro Almodóvar is a Spanish film director, screen writer and producer and he was born in 1949 (IMDb 2011) during the Franco’s dictatorship. Most of his life his parents wanted him to be a priest although in 1967(IMDb 2011) he moved to Madrid to study about cinema however Franco had closed the National School of Cinema so he had to be self-thought and during his career he was influenced by many directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Frederico Fellini, etc. In the early 70s, Almodóvar grew interest in theatre and experimental cinema and it was not only until early 80s that he made his first film “Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón” (Jordan 2005) and since then he makes film on the grounds that Franco´s period and censorship never existed, like García de León and Maldonado said that “Pedro Almodóvar is the Spanish director of the 80s – a director with a very personal form of expression who, at the same time connects with the traditional Spanish culture and whose products can compete in other markets”(2003:132) National cinema in the 80s was characterized by a group of directors such has Fernando Colomo or Fernando Treuba but especially Almodóvar because it is said that they changed cinema by renewing its genres, its stars, its locations and its soundtracks which means that for the future audiences Spanish cinema changed dramatically. When Almodóvar started making his low budget films he started using mixtures of melodramas, horror, sex comedy and elements of a detective story and his films were also colourful, abrasive, delirious and funny which were mainly inspired by the Madrilenian movement. Almodóvar since the mid-90s he started making his films more serious although his themes remained consistent. Love, desire, gender and sexuality are key elements in his work because he tends to focus on society features such has women, gays, lesbians, transsexuals and prostitutes and in addition he mainly does his movies with these themes because he is concerned about their individual freedom and showing these types of movies makes these characters feel accepted by the society. I believe that Pedro Almodóvar has a directors has managed to replace the public imagination with symbols from national identity with the new cultural stereotypes as representative of modern post – Franco Spain. (IMDb 2011)
The Movida Madrileña was a cultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the transition after the Dictator Franco’s death on 1975 and with this it developed the new identity of Spain. Even though it was born in Madrid it also appeared around Spain in places such as Barcelona, Bilbao and Vigo. With this new association Spanish cinema became aware of the post – censorship freedom which means that relationships, lifestyles and orientations became more adventurous and varied and they were represented in the big screen. This movement had a major effect in the world of cinema especially with the film – maker Pedro Almodóvar because this groove scene is considered by the freedom of expression, recreational drugs and also the disobedience of the restrictions that were imposed by General Francisco Franco. One of the main reasons to why Almodóvar got so famous with this movement is because he introduced new trends in fashion and 80’s culture of Spain through his movies, as well he managed to introduce new actresses into the film industry such as Penelope Cruz, Victoria Abril and Carmen Maura which gave him the image “Chica Almodóvar”.
Born in 1921, Fernando Fernán- Gómez was an actor, director and writer for the period of 60 years and over his whole career he appeared in at least two hundred films and also directed 30 feature films.(IMDb 2011) Due to the censorship in Franco’s time his films were frequently commercial failures although he became most known in the Spanish cinema industry during this period of dictatorship, however has the years progressed he also started receiving appreciation from the new generation of film makers. Most Spanish directors take interest on making movies that respond to Spanish traditions because growing up they looked into the culture of the 40s and 50s, however such traditions might not go well with the cinema of today so directors try to make movies that they think it would suit new generations. Fernando Fernán- Gómez worked with styles such has sainete, the zarzuela and esperpento which could be seen in the comedy “Bruja, más que bruja (1976)” because it uses a mixture of Zarzuela and modernist reflections which still made him a director from the new century as well has a director that involved and came from the past years of cinema.I dare say that Fernando Fernán- Gómez reached the fame he had and still has because like Almodóvar highlighted that represents “the history of Spanish cinema from its beginning to the present day”. I think that this particular director contributed to how the new generation see the cinema from the past and how it grew since Franco’s time and as well he contributed to the Spanish literature and I believe that many directors from the new generation are influenced by the work he did.
Vicente Aranda was born in 1926 in Barcelona and he lives his life has a Spanish director, screenwriter and producer. Aranda is not international known like other directors because he only started his career in his 40s however he is famous because he likes to bring contemporary Spanish novels into the big screens and as well his fame comes from starting his career has a founded member of the Barcelona school of film. I can say that most film makers in Spain include the theme of sexuality in most of their films. Aranda and Almodóvar are big directors that use this however apart from sex Vicente also likes to use the theme of the past. With Franco´s regime falling new possibilities opened for the Catalan director to make movies using realistic styles rather than stylish aesthetics. In 1976 when he directed the film “Cambio de sexo” he played with the theme of transexuality which produces the development of themes and genres being produced by well-known directors. Vicente Aranda became famous because of this film he made because it made the topic of sex more open to talk about in the press has well made it possible to write about it in literature and play it a film. I think that in the late 70s and early 80’s his “name” became more famous because he changed people points of view in topics about death, past and homosexuality and managed to create a “different Spain” after the dictatorship of Franco. (IMDb 2011)
Julio Medem was born in 1938 and he is a Spanish writer and film director. When he started his career he was still affected by the censorship given by Franco although nowadays he is an important figure for the Basque cinema because his films is characterized with a number of features of the rural genre – for example his films tend to relate to hidden violence nature and spirituality also he manages to make movies that feature individuals that try to escape from things like sex, tradition and gender. In addition he can belong to the new generation of film – makers because his films enter in international festivals and some of his movies have been released with subtitles which make it possible for teachers to teach abroad about Spanish national cinema like this first film “Vacas (1992)” which demonstrates about the Basque culture. I would say that Julio Medem has contributed to nowadays film industry because I think his way of making cinema is can be understandable by the audience as an instrument that uncovers how Spanish culture can relate to the Spanish cinema in an extraordinary art which shows how the intellectual traditions are still maintained in the country.
Jesús Franco or “Jess Franco” is a Spanish film director, writer and cinematographer and he was born in 1930, six years before Franco dictatorship started. Due to the rules of the censorship that were brought up with the Civil War, he moved from Spain to France in 1970’s (IMDb 2011) so he could make movies that he wanted with the themes that he wanted which mainly involved violence revolving lesbian vampires, women in prison, surgical horror, zombies and sexploitation. While in France he tried to make movies more violent and more sexual however his career at this point did not grew. Due to this he then started making low budget films such has Dracula VS Frankenstein and by making short films his careers increased to a point where the film industry considered him has a porn director, because of the films he started making in 1983 mainly involved women. One of reasons he was not allowed to do these type of movies in Spain because in 1936 the politics were different from what they are now – everyone in Spain during the civil war had to be Christians by law and because he was not a believer he had the choice of staying in the country and make movies like the law wanted or to move and make like he wished to do. Jesús work has influenced all over Europe mainly in France, Italy and Germany and due to his movies we can say that is one of the most edgy directors of Spain because he showed the new generation that if you have a passion for something, you can do anything because he recently said that he does his films because “he loves cinema” and he also said that “life is cinema”. I think that Jesús films demonstrated to other directors that films can be made with other genres like violence and horror not only documentaries and propaganda films and they also show how passionate he is about his work.
“El destape” is the name that it was given to the movie phenomenon of the transition in Spain from the disappearance of censorship of Franco. This breakout is important for the Spanish cinema and its history because it affected the Spanish audience due to the full frontal nudity it started to appear. Films were being made about women in the 80s and the 90s and they reflected on the gender roles in the Western Europe and directors such has Pedro Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel both exploited the legacy of cinema however Buñuel films concentrated in the female body but his own visual pleasure and freedom as a director showed innocence but on the other hand Almodóvar films still relate to the country culture because he involves ironic deconstruction with strong female protagonists. I believe that this important to the Spanish history because it influenced film makers with the types of genres that is used in today’s cinema but in the point of view of the Spanish audience they tend to avoid films from this period because I think Spaniards lost the trust in Spanish cinema, however the new generations of film makers still follow the same steps of directors between the period of democracy (1975 – 1982). (Jordan 2005)
Spanish cinema over the years has changed dramatically, from Franco’s period of censorship to the new generations of film – makers in Spain. Basque and Catalan cinema also became famous and so did Julio Medem because he became one of the youngest directors in Basque and his whole career became famous both nationally and internationally due to the fact he uses beautiful narrative and visual styles in his films which are also characterized by unconventional points of view. No doubt that Pedro Almodóvar was the new face of the Spanish cinema in the 80s and the 90s as well at the beginning of the twenty first century because I believe that he became one out of the ordinary figure in the early 80s with his youth oriental comedies that reflected on Madrid’s culture in the early post – Franco. It is true that he still uses characters or elements that could be seen has eccentric although he does not use them to rebel against society. Instead these characters are integrated in a film to tell a story about love, struggle, abuse, relationships problems and everything else that people experience in real life.
I believe that film-makers that were born and lived through the period of Franco’s rules are not rebelling when they do not make movies that are only used has propaganda, instead I think that they should make movies like they want even though it might not appeal to all types of audiences. Has year’s progressed film makers from the 60s, 70s and 80s all contributed into how Spanish cinema is made nowadays. Different types of genres were brought up by many directors such has drama and horror types of movies that Pedro Almodóvar used to make most of the time like the movie “Broken Embraces in 2009” or “All about my mother on 1999” to comedies. I think in the cinema industry of Spain many directors since the year of 1978 contributed to this art form for today’s cinema because many film – makers use themes that does not have to relate to their country history or culture but they make movies because they love cinema and use interesting themes that could relate to people in real life and that could be used by other directors in different industries of the art of cinema. References * Articles Web (2011) Fernando Fernan Gomez Versatile genius of Spain [Online] available from < http://www.articlesweb.org/celebrities/fernando-fernan-gomez-versatile-genius-of-spain> [7 December 2011] * A.V. Club (2011) Jess Franco [Online] available from < http://www.avclub.com/articles/jess-franco,34595/> [8 December 2011] * El Pais (2011) El gran hombre del teatro y el cine español de la segunda mitad del siglo XX [Online] available from <http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/gran/hombre/teatro/cine/espanol/segunda/mitad/siglo/XX/elpepucul/20071121elpepunac_26/Tes> [5 December 2011] * Expatica (2011) A history of Spanish cinema [online] available from <http://www.expatica.com/es/leisure/arts_culture/A-history-of-Spanish-cinema-_13441.html> [5 December 2011] * Flixster (n.d.) Vicente Aranda [Online] available from
< http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vicente_aranda/biography.php> [9 December 2001] * Hopewell, J (1986) Out of the Past: Spanish cinema after Franco. London: British Film Institute * IMDb (2011) Pedro Almodóvar [Online] available from < http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000264/bio> [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Fernando Fernán Gómez [Online] available from
< http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0273178/bio> [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Jesus Franco [Online] available from
< http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001238/bio> [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Julio Medem [Online] available from
< http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575523/bio> [6 December 2011] * Jordan, B (2002) Spanish culture and society. London: Arnold * Jordan, B, Allison, M (2005) Spanish cinema: A student’s guide. London: Hodder Headline Group * Jordan, B, Morgan – Tamosunas, R (1998) Contemporary Spanish Cinema. Manchester: Manchester University Press * Maps of the world (2009) Spanish Cinema [Online] available from
< http://www.mapsofworld.com/spain/culture-spain/spanish-cinema.html> [4 December 2011] * Molina – Foix, V (1977) New cinema in Spain. London: British Film Institute * Nascidos en los 80 (2008) La Movida Madrileña [Online] available from
< http://los80.lacoctelera.net/post/2005/12/19/la-movida-madrilena> [7 December 2011] * The Prisma (2011) Spanish cinema after Franco [online] available from < http://www.theprisma.co.uk/2011/07/06/spanish-cinema-after-franco/> [9 December 2011] * The Independent (2011) Fernando Fernán- Gómez: much loved start of Spanish film [Online] available from < http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/fernando-fernngmez-muchloved-star-of-spanish-film-760254.html> [9 December 2011] * Triana- Toribio, N (2003) Spanish National Cinema. London: Routledge

References: * Articles Web (2011) Fernando Fernan Gomez Versatile genius of Spain [Online] available from &lt; http://www.articlesweb.org/celebrities/fernando-fernan-gomez-versatile-genius-of-spain&gt; [7 December 2011] * A.V * Hopewell, J (1986) Out of the Past: Spanish cinema after Franco. London: British Film Institute * IMDb (2011) Pedro Almodóvar [Online] available from &lt; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000264/bio&gt; [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Fernando Fernán Gómez [Online] available from &lt; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0273178/bio&gt; [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Jesus Franco [Online] available from &lt; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001238/bio&gt; [6 December 2011] * IMDb (2011) Julio Medem [Online] available from &lt; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575523/bio&gt; [6 December 2011] * Jordan, B (2002) Spanish culture and society. London: Arnold * Jordan, B, Allison, M (2005) Spanish cinema: A student’s guide * Jordan, B, Morgan – Tamosunas, R (1998) Contemporary Spanish Cinema. Manchester: Manchester University Press * Maps of the world (2009) Spanish Cinema [Online] available from &lt; http://www.mapsofworld.com/spain/culture-spain/spanish-cinema.html&gt; [4 December 2011] * Molina – Foix, V (1977) New cinema in Spain * Nascidos en los 80 (2008) La Movida Madrileña [Online] available from &lt; http://los80.lacoctelera.net/post/2005/12/19/la-movida-madrilena&gt; [7 December 2011] * Triana- Toribio, N (2003) Spanish National Cinema. London: Routledge