Paper Summary:

This paper explores the subject matter addressed in the films of Pedro Almodovar, who after Franco's death was a firm proponent of the La Movida Madrilena. By examining Almodovar's films "Pepi, Luci, Bom, y Las Otras Chicas del Monton" and "Entre Tinieblas," the paper explains how crudity and comical portrayal of Spanish culture, or "shock-factor," serve to allow the public to question their former belief systems. By examining the filming technique in these two films, the paper concludes that ultimately, Almodovar wanted to represent a Spain that was modern, liberal, tolerant, and perhaps even visionary as the country shifted from dictatorship to democracy.

From the Paper:

"Prior to this revolution, the Supreme Board of Film Censorship used a full range of measures to regulate film production. Historical epics, musical comedies, and religious dramas dominated Spanish production through the forties and fifties, while American films (with their emphasis on entertainment rather than social or political critique) shared the approval as acceptable foreign films. During the sixties however, the regime realized the value of using Spain's film industry to construct an image of a modern nation and lessened its hold.
"With this background information, we can proceed to analyze Almodovar's films in greater detail. In the first sequence of Pepi, Luci, Bom y las otras chicas del monton or Pepi, Luci, Bom and the Other Ordinary Girls (1980), lesbian-punk schoolgirl Pepi (played by Carmen Maura) gets raped by her cop neighbor. In the next sequence, the audience sees her dressed up in a bright sequined top, pacing back and forth, scheming about her revenge (she is upset because the virginity she had saved to acquire value was taken by some guy who did not even pay her properly). Contrary to religious ideologies, Pepi's view of her virginity and sexuality does not relate to any conventional ideas of sacredness or purity. In fact, aside from her concern with the loss of money-value for her virginity, she does not feel violated, humiliated, used or male-dominated by the rape. In this way, Almodovar completely disregards existing cultural notions about rape in terms of socially instilled feelings of gender inequality, sex, and receiving money for sex. In the absence of any attempt by Almodovar to address these issues in the scene, the audience is likely to be somewhat shocked and a bit confused. The goal of this is to set a stage where no preconceptions exist, with the purpose of creating an unbiased mindset for the rest of the film."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Almodovar, Pedro. 1980. Pepi, Luci, Bom, y las otras chicas del monton
• Almodovar, Pedro. 1983. Entre tinieblas
• Bonechi, Casa Editrice. 2002. Spain: the New Millennium Collection. Italy
• Lancaster University, Spanish 213 Lectures www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/cramer/span_213
• Mahieu, Agustin. 1974. Sexo y Violencia. Argentina, Editorial Cuarto Mundo

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