BOOK REVIEW Directory Of World Cinema: Spain

The Directory Of World Cinema: Spain is part of a series of books designed to be essential reading for any foreign film buffs. Broad and ambitious in scope, it provides a complete overview of Spanish cinema.

"After offering a very brief synopsis, the critic, Rafael Gomez Alonso, turns his attentions on drawing out the symbolism in relation to the artistic heritage of Spain."

The Directory Of World Cinema differs from other country-based cinema series’ in the way in which it tackles its subject. Rather than presenting information about the country’s film industry in a chronological, historical manner, using films to back up cinema theory, it places the films firmly in the foreground. The book is split into sections on a genre basis, and each section has an introductory article offering some background information, followed by critiques of the stand-out films in that genre.

Articles and critiques have been contributed by a range of authors, offering specific expertise on a genre or film, and everything from a 1930s musical to the internationally-acclaimed Pan’s Labyrinth has an entire page devoted to it. Each film entry comprises a short synopsis and critique, as well as explaining the significance of the film within its wider context…

One feature of this book which should not be underestimated is its beauty. Every section is introduced with a full-page film still and other photos pepper the pages, showing off some of the most iconic images in Spanish cinema. The overall effect is very aesthetically-pleasing, and it is a pleasure to pick up and leaf through: the organisation by genre is very intuitive and there are no huge chapters of dense text to overwhelm the reader.

Each section introduction offers a concise explanation of the genre and anchors it in the social and historical context which surrounds it, although the exact formulation of it depends on the author writing it. This doesn’t mean the book lacks coherency, however; instead, it ensures that each genre and film has been written about knowledgeably and the thematic approach is a good one.

Benito Zambrano's Alone: "Critic Victoria Pastor-Gonzalez explains how this small-scale story about a down-at-heel pregnant alcoholic woman and her elderly parents is made to work on-screen."

The first section, ‘Auteur Melodrama’, opens with the classic film by Juan Jose Bigas Luna, A Tale Of Ham And Passion (released here as Jamon Jamon). After offering a very brief synopsis, the critic, Rafael Gomez Alonso, turns his attentions on drawing out the symbolism in relation to the artistic heritage of Spain. He explains that this tale of class divisions, relationships and seduction alludes to everything from a painting by Goya to the surrealist imagery of Salvador Dali.

The ‘Iberian Drama’ section, on the other hand, opens with a little-known film called Alone (Solas), directed by Benito Zambrano and featuring an unknown cast. Critic Victoria Pastor-Gonzalez writes a much fuller synopsis than A Tale Of Ham And Passion received, before explaining in the critique how this small-scale story about a down-at-heel pregnant alcoholic woman and her elderly parents is made to work on-screen, summing it up as “the best kind of socio-realist cinema.” Meanwhile, the first film in the ‘Musicals’ section is the culturally-significant film Ay, Carmela!, a story about a troupe of performers captured by Nationalist forces. It has the light overtones of a musical, but presents a stark commentary on the Spanish Civil War. In this way, the Directory brings together a diverse range of films, some low-budget and under the radar, others phenomenally successful blockbusters, and introduces the reader to films they may not have heard of before or otherwise.

The book takes on an enormous task in trying to comprehensively cover Spanish cinema, and the design of it is commendable.

However, the book has two major weaknesses, the first of which is that it cannot seem to decide what type of book it wants to be. There seems to be indecision between whether it is for academics or a general audience – the design of it does not allow for in-depth analysis of any particular work or movement, yet the writers, almost without exception, seem to have a predilection for unjustifiably academic language and overly long sentences. Half the time, it quickly becomes apparent that they aren’t saying very much of any use and are apparently using convoluted metaphors just for the sake of it: “The traditional value-chain, structured around window-based distribution has been blown apart…the danger lies in the ‘cannibalization’ of such windows and the entry of intermediaries…” (the writer is discussing the impact of the internet on the Spanish film industry, apparently). Now, this kind of writing might be due less to the fact that the writers are being deliberately obscure and more to do with the fact that most of them are native Spanish speakers writing in English. However, that does not excuse it; the employment of a decent proof reader surely wouldn’t be too much to ask.

The other big failing is also stated by the editor in his opening introduction: “I do not understand the fear of the so-called spoiler.” This lack of understanding means that the entire plot and ending for just about every film is given away in the short synopsis. This isn’t a problem if the reader has already seen the film, but in a book comprising such a high number of film critiques, it is highly unlikely that the average reader will have seen even a quarter of them. The remaining films, then, are rendered well and truly spoilt. Again, this is even more deeply unsatisfying because of the book’s ultimate doubt about its readership – if it were strictly academic, then ‘spoilers’ would be entirely permissible if what followed was an incisive and illuminating analysis, using the ending to evidence a point. But in this book, that doesn’t happen. The critiques are much more general and cannot offer much to someone seriously studying that particular film or genre. For a general audience, people with something of an interest in or enthusiasm for Spanish cinema, one can assume that they haven’t watched many of the films discussed, but may want to watch some of them. It is hard to imagine that they would be happy to know the entire plot and ending for every film in advance.

The book takes on an enormous task in trying to comprehensively cover Spanish cinema, and the design of it is commendable. The organisation and visual aesthetic is unusual and highly effective, but for this particular book, the old adage: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” unfortunately stands true. On the surface, and even with a brief flip through the pages, it seems to promise a rich treat for cinema lovers, but this promise is quickly broken upon closer reading. The sometimes convoluted writing could be forgiven, were it not for the fact that as soon as the reader turns the page to read about the first film, they immediately find out the ending without being provided with the kind of information that might justify it. This will mar the enjoyment of films for many readers and this, in a book which aims to do the opposite, is an inexcusable error.

Release date: 13^th December 2011 / Author: Lorenzo J.t. Hortelano / Publisher: Intellect

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By Katy Stewart

Katy Stewart is a freelance writer with a passion for film and travel. She has
a degree in French and Spanish and has a special interest in films in these l…

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