“The serial context that frames the publication of A Companion to Spanish Cinema should not detract from its status as a true event in the field of Spanish cinema studies in the English language. This volume, expertly compiled by Jo Labanyi and Tatjana Pavlovic, reads as a ‘who’s who’ in the field of Spanish film studies; more to the point, it provides a reliable guide to key critical topics in the history of Spanish cinema – from its beginnings to the contemporary moment – and an authoritative intervention from multiple perspectives.” (Screen, Spring 2014)
“Well-illustrated and with excellent notes and suggestions for further reading, as well as a useful index, this volume will appeal to a wide audience and sets a high standard for other volumes in the series.”(Reference Reviews, 1 September 2013)
“Many of the individual chapters draw on a chronological approach, but this clearly organized history is unique for its thematic structure. Topics slighted in conventional histories receive their due here … Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (Choice, 1 September 2013)
“This comprehensive collection contains contributions from many of the most brilliant scholars currently writing on Spanish cinema. Although the topics are familiar, the treatments are innovative and bold.”
– Marsha Kinder, Author of Blood Cinema and Refiguring Spain
“From major auteurs to minor genres, and from conditions of production and distribution to wider national and transnational contexts, this book gives a comprehensive account of Spanish cinema.”
– Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of English, Wayne State University
From the Inside Flap
Spanish cinema has firmly established itself on the international film scene over the last two decades, and is now an integral part of the syllabus for students of Spanish and Cinema Studies. A Companion to Spanish Cinema closes a gap in existing scholarship, presenting an insightful and provocative collection of newly commissioned essays covering the whole time-span of Spanish cinema.
Drawing on the best of the American, British, and Spanish critical traditions, twenty-six top international scholars discuss major issues in Spanish cinema from a variety of theoretical and geographical perspectives. The volume’s thematic approach to the history of Spanish cinema is unique in the field, and combines coverage of key topics with in-depth textual analysis of specific films. A rich mosaic of genres and formats are explored – from popular and art cinema to documentary, shorts, experimental film, and animation – as are the cultural, artistic, industrial, commercial, and theoretical contexts of the medium.
An invaluable introduction to Spanish cinema for first-time students and teachers of Spanish culture, this companion also offers innovative models for future research that will benefit experienced scholars.
From the Back Cover
Spanish cinema has firmly established itself on the international film scene over the last two decades, and is now an integral part of the syllabus for students of Spanish and Cinema Studies. A Companion to Spanish Cinema closes a gap in existing scholarship, presenting an insightful and provocative collection of newly commissioned essays covering the whole time-span of Spanish cinema.
Drawing on the best of the American, British, and Spanish critical traditions, twenty-six top international scholars discuss major issues in Spanish cinema from a variety of theoretical and geographical perspectives. The volume’s thematic approach to the history of Spanish cinema is unique in the field, and combines coverage of key topics with in-depth textual analysis of specific films. A rich mosaic of genres and formats are explored – from popular and art cinema to documentary, shorts, experimental film, and animation – as are the cultural, artistic, industrial, commercial, and theoretical contexts of the medium.
An invaluable introduction to Spanish cinema for first-time students and teachers of Spanish culture, this companion also offers innovative models for future research that will benefit experienced scholars.
About the Author
Jo Labanyi is Professor of Spanish at New York University, where she directs the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center. A founding editor of the Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies, she edits the series Remapping Cultural History. Her most recent books are Spanish Literature: A Very Short Introduction (2010) and the coedited volume Europe and Love in Cinema (2012). She is a participant in the research project Los medios audiovisuales en la transición española (1975–1985): Las imágenes del cambio democrático, directed by Manuel Palacio at the Universidad Carlos III, Madrid. Her research interests include modern Spanish literature, film, photography, popular culture, gender, and memory studies. She was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2005.
Tatjana Pavlović is Professor of Spanish at Tulane University in New Orleans. She is author of the monograph Despotic Bodies and Transgressive Bodies: Spanish Culture from Francisco Franco to Jesús Franco (2003) and coauthor of the comprehensive survey 100 Years of Spanish Cinema (2009). Her recent monograph The Mobile Nation (1954–1964): España cambia de piel (2011) focuses on a crucial period of transition in the history of Spanish mass culture, examining the publishing industry, the expansion of the television network, popular cinema, the development of mass tourism, and the national automobile manufacturing industry. Her research and teaching interests center on twentieth-century Spanish intellectual history, literature, cultural studies, and film theory.
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