Treatments of religion found in Spanish cinema range from the pious to the anticlerical and atheistic, and every position in between. In a nation with a strong Catholic tradition, resistance to and rebellion against religious norms go back almost as far as the notion of "Sacred Spain." Religion and Spanish Film provides a sustained study of the religious film genre in Spain practiced by mainstream Francoist film makers, the evolving iconoclasm, parody, and reinvention of the Catholic by internationally renowned Surrealist Luis Bunuel, and the ongoing battle of the secular versus the religious manifested in critically and popularly acclaimed directors Pedro Almodovar, Julio Medem, Alejandro Amenabar, and many others. The conflicted Catholicism that emerges from examining religious themes in Spanish film history shows no sign of ending, as unresolved issues from the Civil War and Franco dictatorship, as well as the unsettled relationship between Church and State, continue into the present.

About the Author

Elizabeth Scarlett is Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literature at the University of Buffalo, SUNY.

Book Information
ISBN 9780472052455
Author Elizabeth Scarlett
Format Paperback
Page Count 210
Imprint The University of Michigan Press
Publisher The University of Michigan Press