CIEE GLOBAL INSTITUTE - MADRID Course name: Course number: Programs offering course: Language of instruction: U.S. Semester Credits: Contact Hours: Term: Instructor: New Spanish Cinema FILM 3101 MASP Open Campus - Language, Literature and Culture Track English 3 45 Summer 2018 Course Description This course offers a vision of Spanish cinema from the last half-century analyzing the most relevant trends, topics, genres, and filmmakers who have offered a new vision of contemporary Spain. Internationally acclaimed directors such as Almodóvar, Medem, Bollaín, Bayona or Amenábar have transformed representations of Spain and its people. This course analyzes the role these filmmakers from varied backgrounds have taken in interpreting trends in contemporary Spanish culture and society. Learning Objectives By the end of this course, students will be able to: Master the terms that are essential for the analysis and interpretation of film, and as a spectator, sharpen their attention to the forms and meanings of images and sounds. Develop an understanding of the cultural differences between Spanish and American film Become more attuned to the social and cultural forces that shape filmmaking, and which filmmaking informs in return, through a historical perspective on Spanish cinema (artists, movements, state and private institutions, as well the practice of cinema-going). Situate Spanish films in the larger context international and nationally speaking with respect to their historical, social, and political context. Become familiar with the most relevant Spanish filmmakers and their work Develop skills in writing and speaking about film. Explore the rhetoric and methods of film and media analysis. Practice the art of discussing film and media. Course Prerequisites None 1
Methods of Instruction Lectures will be based on assigned texts and audiovisual documents. They are to provide, a) further context for a deepened discussion on individual films, authors and trends, and 2) give an overview of the History of contemporary Spanish cinema. Class discussion will be about around assigned readings and films where student participation is expected. Assessment and Final Grade Grading will be based on the following (per block): Class participation and attendance 20% Weekly assignments (Six film reviews) 20% Oral presentation 20% Midterm 20% Final Exam 20% Course requirements Class Participation Useful participation in class discussion that at a minimum sticks to the subject at hand, generally provides specific and precise references to the works studied, and ideally prompts class discussion and debate. Weekly assignments Students are expected to write a short analysis of an assigned film or one chosen among the ones suggested by the instructor. The analysis should approach the film from a scholarly perspective and include a personal review based on the required texts and the context studied in class. Required films: Week 1: Belle Epoque (Trueba, 1992) Week 2: (To choose one) Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown (Almodovar,1989), All about my mother (Almodovar, 1999), and Volver (Almodovar,2006) Week 3: (To choose one) Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Medem, 1998), Life without me (Coixet, 2003) and Take my eyes (Bollain, 2003). Week 4: (To choose one) A Spanish affair (Martinez Lazaro, 2014) or Common Wealth (De la Iglesia, 2000) Week 5: (To choose one) The impossible (Bayona, 2012) and The others (Amenabar, 2001) Week 6: Pan s Labyrinth (Del Toro, 2006) Midterm Exam This exam will consist of questions related to the analytical concepts used and discussed by the assigned texts, as well as an analysis of extracts from relevant films related to the course 2
content. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the concepts, familiarity with the assigned texts, and the clip analysis must explain how the particular construction of the image relates to the themes of the class. Final Exam The final exam will follow the same format as the midterm covering the second half of the course content. Oral Presentation All students are required to do at least one oral presentation of no more than 15 minutes. The exercise is simple: show a clip either from a film we have studied or from another work related to the topics of the class; provide your own analysis of the clip; pose questions to the class for debate. Class Attendance Regular class attendance is required throughout the program. Students must notify their instructor via Canvas, beforehand, if possible, if they will miss class for any reason. Students are responsible for any materials covered in class in their absence. Students who miss class for medical reasons must inform the instructor and the Academic Director (or a designated staff member) and provide appropriate documentation as noted below. A make-up opportunity will be provided to the extent this is feasible. Due to the intensive nature of the block schedule, all unexcused absences will result in a lower final grade for the course. Each unexcused absence will cause 3 percentage points to be dropped from the final grade. For example, a student with an 88% final grade (B+) and 1 unexcused absence will see it reduced to 85% (B). Students who transfer from one class to another during the add/drop period will not be considered absent from the first session(s) of their new class, provided they were marked present for the first session(s) of their original class. Otherwise, the absence(s) from the original class carry over to the new class and count against the grade in that class. CIEE program minimum class attendance standards are as outlined below. Center-specific attendance policies may be more stringent than the policies stated below. The Center / Resident Director sets the specific attendance policy for each location, including how absences impact final grades. Such policies are communicated to students during orientation and via Study Center documents. In the event that the attendance policy for host institution courses differs from CIEE s policy, the more stringent policy will apply. Excessively tardy (over 15 minutes late) students will be marked absent. Students who miss class for personal travel will be marked as absent and unexcused. No make-up opportunity will be provided. 3
An absence will only be considered excused if: A doctor s note is provided. A CIEE staff member verifies that the student was too ill to attend class. Evidence is provided of a family emergency. Attendance policies also apply to any required co-curricular class excursion or event. Persistent absenteeism (students approaching 20% or more of total course hours missed, or violations of the attendance policies in more than one class) may lead to a written warning from the Academic Director or Resident Director, notification to the student s home school, and/or dismissal from the program in addition to reduction in class grade(s). Weekly Schedule NOTE: the following course schedule may be subject to change. Week One Abandoning traditional narratives: the Spanish Cinema at the end of the 20th century What do we mean with New Spanish Cinema? The end of dictatorship and censorship opened the door to new ways of expression in films. The new graduates from the Madrid Film School brought new perspectives, narratives and themes. This sessions explores the transition from a State supervised cinema to the new trends represented by the Barcelona School or the Madrid comedies of the 1980s. Stone, pp. 110 132 Triana-Toribio pp.143-154 Jordan pp. 38-78 The new classicism: Aranda, Armendariz and Trueba The first Academy Award to a Spanish Film in 1982 paved the way for the international attention on Spanish cinema. A classical approach in narratives was found in a majority of filmmakers who benefited from government subsidies for film production. Classical narratives were found in literary adaptations and revisionist films by key names in Spanish cinema. Jordan, pp. 111-122 Evans, pp. 286-30 Schwartz, pp. 501-507 4
Week Two The new identity: Pedro Almódovar films and his impact in national cinema. The films of Pedro Almodovar in the early eighties represented a turning point in Spanish cinema. His fresh narratives, his approach to comedy, his unique characters and his pop references made an impact in contemporary filmmakers. This session will focus on his first films until the international success of his film Women in the verge of a nervous breakdown. Jordan, pp. 274-282 Epps & Kakondaki pp. 1-36 & 389-407 Allison pp. 25-45 Assignment: Film 1 analysis Almodovar and the international success: between cinephilia and classicism. Worldwide known as the best representative of contemporary Spanish cinema, Almodovar won two Academy Awards in the 1990s. This session will focus on the second half of his career when Almodovar shaped his style, worked on a more personal direction with his production company, El Deseo, and defined the elements of his films that created a new image of Spain. Labanyi pp. 563-580 Matz & Salmon pp. 13-36 & 37-66 The authorship signature: The cinema of Julio Medem, Cesc Gay and Jose Luis Guerin This session will focus on the works of those directors whose approach to film is far from commercial narratives, offering a more personal way of making films. Midterm exam Reading: Stone, pp. 158-185 Assignment: Film 2 analysis 5
The female gaze: Iciar Bollain and Isabel Coixet and the conquest of major audiences Women filmmakers are just a few in Spanish cinema. This session will review the works of Josefina Molina and Pilar Miró as pioneers at the end of the century and the remarkable careers of internationally acclaimed Isabel Coixet and Iciar Bollain. Examples of films directed by Dolera, Gutierrez and Ortiz will also show how female approach to cinema may offer a different (and rich) perspective on how a story can be told. Beck, pp. 219 240 Labanyi pp. 545-562 Week Three Social cinema: León de Aranoa Spanish cinema has portrayed reality following European tradition for social cinema. The realities of contemporary society are of the interest of committed filmmakers in search of using film as a vehicle to raise awareness in social problems. Reading: Triana-Toribio pp 155-157 Assignment: Film 3 analysis Revisiting genres: thrillers, horror movies and the new comedy The New Spanish Cinema is using traditional genres conventions to attract audiences with a strong influence of American cinema in its approach to the most popular genres such as those shown in films as Cell 211, Rec or A Spanish Affair. Rabalska pp. 91-112 Beck, pp 122-132 Assignment: Film 3 review Connecting with a new public. The cinema of the excess and the politically incorrect: de la Iglesia and the Torrente phenomena This session will focus on the works of those filmmakers who have attracted audiences with films that revisit the black humor and political incorrectness present in Spanish idiosyncrasy, in particular, the Torrente 6
films by Santiago Segura will be analyzed to study their unprecedented success. Egea, pp. 135-156 The Peripheral cinema: Catalan and Basque cinematography The cultural diversity of the country is also shown in the films produced in other regions other than in Madrid, such as those using a different language than Spanish. Examples of catalan cinema with the works of Ventura Pons or Basque cinema as Loreak film will be analyzed. Stone pp. 133-157 Assignment: Film 4 analysis Oral presentations Week Four Spanish Cinema goes international: Bayona, Amenábar and the landing in Hollywood. Major production projects with international stars are trademark for directors who are try to conquer markets for Spanish Cinema and compete in the box office with American big productions. Also, examples of Spanish filmmakers working in Hollywood as Rodrigo Cortés, Vigalondo and Fresnadillo will be studied. Vieira pp. 1229-1244 The Transnational cinema: Spanish film co-production with Latin America (and Europe) Co-Production with other countries has always been a way to lounge film projects. This session will focus on the productions programs as Ibermedia to co-produce with Latin American and European countries reviewing successful titles as Pan s Labyrinth. Rix, pp 113-128 Assignment: Film 5 analysis 7
The future of Spanish cinema: towards new national film identity This session will discuss the future of Spanish cinema through the most outstanding examples and successful titles. Assignment: Film 6 analysis Final Exam Readings Allison, M. (2001). A Spanish Labyrinth. The Films of Pedro Almodovar. Tauris. London Beck, J. & Rodriguez Ortega V. (2008): Contemporary Spanish cinema and genre. Manchester University Press. Manchester. Egea, J. (2013). Dark laughter. Spanish Film, comedy and the nation. University of Wisconsin Press. Wisconsin. Epps & Kakondaki (2009). All about Amodovar. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis. Jordan, B. and Morgan-Tamosunas, R. (2000) Contemporary Spanish Cultural Studies. Arnold. London. Jordan, B. and Morgan-Tamosunas, R. (1999) Contemporary Spanish Cinema. Manchester University Press. Manchester. Labanyi, J. & Pavlovic T. (ed.) (2013): A companion to Spanish Cinema. Wiley-Blackwell. London. Matz & Salmon (2012): How the Films of Pedro Almodovar draw upon and influence Spanish society. Edwin Mallen Press. Lewiston. 8
Schwartz, S. (2008) "The paradoxes of film and the recovery of historical memory: Vicente Aranda s works on the Spanish Civil War." Film History: An International Journal, vol. 20 no. 4. Smith, P. J. (2014): Desire Unlimited: the cinema of Pedro Almodóvar. Critical Studies in Latin American and Iberian Cultures. Stone, R. (2002): Spanish Cinema. Longman. London. Triana-Toribio, N. (2003). Spanish National Cinema. Routhledge. London. Triana-Toribio, N. and Willis, N. (2012): The cinema of Alex de la Iglesia. Manchester University Press. Manchester. Vieria, E. (2014). National cinema and intertextuality in Alejandro Amenabar. From Hollywood to Julio Cortazar. Bulletin of Spanish Studies. Vol 91 n8 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14753820.2014.920659 Wheler, D & Canet, F. (2014): (Re)viewing creative, critical and commercial practices in contemporary Spanish Cinema. Intellect. Chicago. --- (1999): Spanish Cinema: calling the shots. Trinity and Saints. Leeds. Copyright and Fair Use Statement Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of authors. Copyrighted materials may be used in this class, including articles, music, art work, etc. These materials are provided for private study, scholarship, or research and adhere to the copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code). You may copy or download from the course website one copy of the materials on any single computer for non-commercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you do not modify it and use it only for the duration of this course. Beyond this use, no material from the course or website may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without the permission of the original copyright holder. Neither the instructor nor CIEE assumes any responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted material. 9