What does the portrayal of gender in film reveal about Spanish society? To what extent and in what ways does cinema contribute to constructions of national and regional identity? How does gender interact with ethnicity, class, politics and history?Gender and Spanish Cinema addresses these questions and more in its examination of twentieth-century film. Defining 'gender' in its broadest sense, the authors discuss topics such as body, performance, desire and fantasy. Gender is not considered in isolation, but is discussed in relation to nationalism, race, memory, psychoanalyisis and historical context. The chapters are wide-ranging, dealing with subjects such as Buuel, cinema under Franco, 1950s melodrama and Pedro Almodvar.Bringing together leading academics from the UK, US and Spain, this volume examines the diversity of gender representation in Spanish cinema through a range of genres. A filmography and illustrations enhance the text.
Steven Marsh is Lecturer in Film and Media Studies, New York University in Madrid Parvati Nair is Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, Queen Mary, University of London As of August 2004: Stephen Marsh--Assistant Professor of Spanish and Film Studies at the University of South Carolina.
A most welcome contribution to contemporary film studies ... both tremendously well-written and concise, its sheer readability also stands as one of its strongest achievements. SCOPE
