The Films of Pedro Almodovar

Catalog description

Pedro Almodovar is known today as the internationally acclaimed Spanish auteur whose cinema went from being transgressive and amateurish to winning major international awards. This dramatic arc may also be applied to society and culture in post-Franco Spain. This course will analyze selected films that may trace Spain's self-refashioning, beginning with Madrid's counter cultural movement known as La Movida in the early 1980s, through Spain's transition to democracy, to today. Topics to be discussed include: queer studies, feminist studies, the melodrama, the Hollywood Formula, and anxiety of influence. The films that we will analyze may include Pepi, Luci, Bom; Todo sobre mi madre; Entre tinieblas; Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios; La flor de mi secreto; Carne tremula; Todo sobre mi madre; Dolor y gloria; and Madres paralelas. This interdisciplinary course will be conducted in both English and Spanish to accommodate a diverse range of students. Assignments will include a midterm examination and a 8-12-page final paper.