Post-Franco, Postmodern: The Films of Pedro Almodovar (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture) [Hardcover]

Kathleen M. Vernon (Editor), Barbara Morris (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313292450 | ISBN-13: 978-0313292453 | Publication Date: January 30, 1995

The films of Pedro Almodovar have demonstrated great crossover appeal in their ability to attract both mainstream and marginal audiences and to command critical as well as commercial success. The contributors to this anthology of critical essays seek, through close readings of the director's 10 feature films, to analyze the multiple contexts of Almodovar's phenomenal international success. This volume offers a corrective to the glib approaches that have dominated previous discussions of Almodovar's films, which have treated them, on the one hand, as simply the latest contribution to the travel poster image of passionate, "romantic Spain," or, on the other, as historical joyrides through the global pop culture scene. As the first comprehensive study of Almodovar's cinema to be published in North America, the book is also noteworthy for the range of critical and theoretical methodologies that the contributors bring to the study of his works. Drawing upon disciplines that run from psychoanalysis, feminism, queer theory, film and media studies, and cultural theory to the empirical study of audience response, the authors nevertheless share a concern to illuminate the specifically Spanish context of the director's films. While this volume serves the important function of introducing American audiences to post-Franco Spanish culture, it also pursues the complementary goal of projecting contemporary Spain into the critical debate on the forms and functioning of postmodern culture and society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An important study of Almodovar and his widely acclaimed films. Each of the ten contributors carefully analyzes one or more of Almodovar films while engaging with current cultural debates. Rounding out this impressive volume are an intelligent introduction, two dozen photos, a filmography, and a bibliography highlighting the US critical reception of Almodovar's films. Theoretically sound and eminently readable, this work will appeal to scholars and aficionados alike. All academic libraries.”–Choice

About the Author

KATHLEEN M. VERNON is Assistant Professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

BARBARA MORRIS is an independent scholar working on contemporary Spanish film and literature. She is the author of essays in Chicago Review, Critical Inquiry, Letras Peninsulares, Revista de Estudios Hispanicos, Espana Contemporanea, and Anales de la Literatura Espanola Contemporanea. She is currently writing a book on configurations of gender in post-Franco Spanish cinema.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (January 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313292450
• ISBN-13: 978-0313292453
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,242,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)