Salmon, Carole
Dr. Carole Salmon is an Assistant Professor of French Studies and Culture in the Department of Cultural Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She holds a Ph.D in French Studies from Louisiana State University where she graduated in 2007.
2012 0-7734-2922-0In the films of Pedro Almod贸var one experiences a vivid representation of Spanish life. His films are discussed here in lieu of gender relations, power dynamics, Spanish cultural identity, and inter-textually with other directors such as Alfred Hitchcock. The essays are written in both English and Spanish. They try to bring together a broad variety of interpretations to his popular films. Many articles deal with issues of gender and representations of cultural iconography from Catholicism on love and death.
Through a variety of authors and angles, as well as in two languages, this volume opens new perspectives on the films of Pedro Almod贸var. This work portrays how Almod贸var reaches into Spanish history and utilizes social changes that followed the fall of Franco to form his aesthetic creations. The book links the transformations of Spanish society and that of the evolution, if not the maturity of the filmmaker as he observes a society that is finally free to be and become what it desires. Each chapter reveals how the audience can witness the auteur鈥檚 maturation at the same pace as that of the Spanish society. Just like Almod贸var鈥檚 films, often criticized for their complex plots, today鈥檚 Spain is a complex mosaics that is constantly evolving and adjusting to the world that surrounds it. If many questions about what defines and inspires the filmmaker鈥檚 personal vision of the world still remain, one thing is for sure: the Almod贸var phenomenon has established an international image of Spain that is open and yet traditional, vibrant, and dynamic.
Price: $199.95