Guide to the Cinema of Spain

This guide to Spanish film documents the film industry''s interpretation of the isolating effects of the cultural traditionalism of the early twentieth century to the expanding international popularity of such films as Trueba''s Belle Epoque Aranda''s Amantes and Bigas Luna''s Jamn Jamn and such actors as Victoria Abril Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. This is the first volume in a new Greenwood series that discusses historically and critically films directors and actors in film industries throughout the world. Each volume will include a detailed historical introduction and will provide an in-depth treatment of the most important films and individuals involved in the industry. End-of-entry bibliographies provide sources for further reading and appendixes provide additional useful information. The Guides will be valuable to scholars students and film buffs.Spanish cinema is in many ways a microcosm of the tensions and conflicts that have shaped the evolution of the nation over the course of this century. Spanish film as a cultural institution is rarely divorced from the political and social currents that have shaped the larger Spanish culture torn as it was between tendencies of localism and internationalism. It languished in industrial and artistic underdevelopment for many years under Franco; it is now however experiencing international recognition while remaining rooted in the specificity of its own popular cultural styles.