Syllabus

Syllabus Spanish 3386

Screen Memories: Spanish Culture Through Film

THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT ENTIRELY IN SPANISH

COURSE SCHEDULE

Section 1: Social and Historical Revisions from the Franco Dictatorship

Aug 26   Introduction to the course. The Spanish Civil War and its Aftermath.  Film as a tool for political indoctrination during the early years of the Franco Regime. Films: Exerpts from Battleship Potemkin and Triumph of the Will. Main film: Marcelino, Pan y Vino (dir Ladislao Vajda 1954).

Sept 2   Opposition to the Regime / Neo-realism in Spanish Cinema.  Film: Muerte de un ciclista (dir Juan Antonio Bardem, 1955)

Sept 9  Laughter as a Weapon for Political Dissent. Film: Bienvenido Mister Marshall (dir Luis García Berlanga 1953)

Sept 16  Spanish Film Breaks with the Past. Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 1988)

 Section 2:  The Recuperation of Historical Memory in Democratic Spain

Sept 23  Documentaries. The Good Fight (dir. Mary Dore, Noel Buckner, Sam Sills, 1984) and El silencio de otros (dr. Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, 2018)

Sept 30  Whitewashing the Past. Film: La niña de tus ojos (dir. Fernando Trueba, 1998)

Oct 7  Recuperating Forgotten Stories. La lengua de las mariposas (dir. José Luis Cuerda, 1999)

Must hand in at least 2 of the homework assignments by this date.

Oct 14   Fantasty vs. Historical accuracy. El laberinto del fauno (dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2006). El espíritu de la Colmena (dir. Victor Erice, 1973)

 Section 3: Filming the Margins: Images of Women and Sexual Diversity

Oct 21   Art as therapy in cases of domestic violence. Te doy mis ojos (dir. Iciar Bollaín, 2003)

Oct 28   Living with the past. Volver (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 2006)

Nov 4  Art and Identity. Film. Dolor y gloria (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 2019)

Section 4: Contemporary Colonized Subjects

Nov 11  Questions of Immigration in Modern Spain, Flores de otro mundo (dir. Iciar Bollaín, 1999)

Nov 18 Presentations of group project. In groups, you will come up with a proposal for an original film. I will pretend to be an executive at a major studio that you want to produce your film, and you will try to sell me your film project.

Nov 25 The Legacies of Colonialism. Film. También la lluvia (dir. Iciar Bollaín, 2011)

Dec 2  Internal Colonization. Cultural differences within Spain. Film. Ocho Apellidos Vascos (dir. Emilio Martínez-Lázaro, 2014)

Monday Dec 8     Last day that I will accept homework assignments