SPAN 63.11 Blood Cinema. Spanish Movies from 1926 to 2019
In this course, we will watch and discuss some canonical Spanish movies that deal with the literal and metaphorical topic of blood. In fact, blood will work in this class as a constelation of intertwined themes: war, sacrifice, redeption, punishment, revange, family bonds, vitalist excess, (destructive) passion, sexual desire, Catholic rituals, birth, martyrhood, biopolitics and national identity. Through the lens of the symbol of blood, we will tackle some of the most important political events and cultural problems that have conditioned modern Spanish history. We will also analyse the aesthetic keys and genre characteristics of this heterogenous geneology of films. One important and constant paradox students will confront in these movies is the vacillation between experimental, inovative and looking-forward formal strategies, and regressive subject matters and primitive taboos. Brief essays and excerpts from books will be weekly assigned in order to help student properly contextualize the audivisual works listed in this syllabus, as well as their directors and historical significance.