Now available in paperback! Cinema often relies on novels or short stories for narrative material. Contemporary Spanish Film from Fiction examines cinematic versions of post-Civil War narratives that had their debut during three key decades of recent Spanish cinema (1965-1995). This study begins with an overview of the critical problems of screen adaptation and offers a global analysis that examines film adaptations of works by fifty-seven authors. These include classics of twentieth century Spanish literature by authors such as Camilo Jose Cela, Miguel Delibes, and Luis Martin Santos, works by recent best-selling authors Antonio Munoz Molina, Arturo Perez Reverte, Juan Madrid, and many others. Directors like Vicente Aranda, Mario Camus, and Pilar Miro show how literary material can be transformed into superb cinema. Spain's dramatic transition from dictatorship to democracy allowed new freedoms on the Spanish screen. Screen adaptations of Spanish narratives often reexamine Spain's historical past or portray important aspects of contemporary Spanish society. Films that receive government subsidies are a special manifestation of the national as an ideological construct, and these twice-told tales, whether subsidized or not, become a double affirmation of Spanish cultural production. This illustrated study will be welcomed by those interested in film studies (especially screen adaptations), Spanish cinema, and contemporary Spanish literature.
About the AuthorThomas G. Deveny is Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Maryland. Professor Deveny has published numerous articles on Spanish film and Spanish literature, and he is author of Cain on Screen: Contemporary Spanish Cinema (Scarecrow Press, 1993).
ReviewsThe analyses are often very detailed, and pay particular attention to relations between cinematic treatment and literary source. * s *
The depth and scale of the entries is outstanding. Deveny's research is of such thoroughness and detail that it will astound even the most informed reader... This invaluable publication will be of great interest to scholars of literature, film and indeed contemporary Spain... * British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain *
...for anyone interested in a major genre of the Spanish cinema this volume will be essential reading. * Revista de Estudios Hispanicos *
...a useful reference... * Classic Images *
Book InformationISBN 9780810846920
Author Thomas G. DevenyFormat Paperback
Page Count 478
Imprint Scarecrow PressPublisher Scarecrow Press
Weight(grams) 612g
Dimensions(mm) 214mm * 140mm * 37mm