Academic literature on the topic 'Spawn (Motion picture)'

This study sets out to determine the interrelationship between meaning(s), form (specifically framing and composition), cinematic technology and the surrealist ideology with specific reference to Luis Buñuel’s film, Un Chien Andalou (1929). The study utilises a semiotic framework to analyse the seminal film, as well as the researcher’s short film Facebrick (2012). The semiotic reading is conducted according to key surrealist tenets namely, spatio-­‐temporal disruption, the use of free-­‐association and the inclusion of cultural, religious and sexual symbols as a revolutionary tool. Gillian Rose’s (2007) semiotic framework underpinned by James Monaco’s (1977) schema for analysing the moving image, was utilised to read the selected film texts. A comparative analysis reveals that although the researcher employed different cinematic technology to construct the short film than that available to Buñuel in the 1920s; similar cinematic techniques could be recreated, as the analysis shows, through the use of key surrealist characteristics. Not only did this allow mere reproduction of these techniques, but rather a full appropriation of these techniques within a contemporary context. Thus the techniques, communicate the surreal, both aesthetically and intellectually. The theoretical study provides the foundation for the practical output, creating a conceptual framework that guides the creation of a short film. The practical research component relies on the parameters identified in the semiotic reading. This was facilitated by the characteristics of Surrealism: the disruption of time and space, the inclusion of archetypal symbols and the use of free association. The short film, Facebrick (2012), follows a voyeur obsessed with gazing at three characters. The film explores the human condition in an urban environment drawing from themes such as Jean-­‐Paul Sartre’s gaze theory as well as Freudian themes of identity and sexuality.

In this thesis I present a case study of the Spanish civil war in cinema. I examine how this period has been represented in cinema through time, in different countries and in various cinematic forms. I reject the postmodern prognosis that the past is a chaotic mass, made sense of through the subjective narrativisation choices of historians working in the present. On the contrary, I argue that there are referential limits on what histories can be legitimately written about the past. I argue that there are different, often contradictory, representations of the Spanish civil war in cinema which indicates a diversity of uses for the past. But there are also referential limits on what can be legitimately represented cinematically. I argue that the civil war setting will continue to be one which filmmakers turn to as the battle for the future of Spain is partially played out in the cinematically recreated battles of the pas

This thesis investigates the Spanish identity crisis through structural, political and representational intersectionality by means of the Law of Historic Memory, also known as LEY 52/2007 del 26 de diciembre. This work, written in Spanish, explores relational aspects of various contemporary themes within four post-Franco novels and four Spanish films: Réquiem por un campesino español by Ramón J. Sender and its corresponding film directed by Francesc Betriu; Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas and its corresponding film directed by David Trueba; La voz dormida by Dulce Chacón and its corresponding film directed by Benito Zambrano; and Los girasoles ciegos by Alberto Méndez and its corresponding film directed by José Luis Cuerda. Linked by a variety of human elements that affect the individual as much as the collective, the works explore sacrifice, betrayal, indifference and injustice. Each novel and movie pair offers a glimpse of individual memory that, at the same time, belongs to collective memory. Delving into the effects of LEY, this thesis considers the role of the Catholic Church, the general atrocities of war, the role of women in the Spanish Civil War, and the fractured family unit. Lastly, this thesis delineates how these effects apply to the healing of individual and collective memories so as to recover what it means to be Spanish.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009.<br>Includes abstract. Title from first page of PDF file (viewed March 31, 2010). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-283). Also issued in print.

La presente investigación tiene como objeto de estudio el cine del destape, un cine que se define por la irrupción en la pantalla de cuerpos desnudos, mayoritariamente femeninos; un fenómeno que adquirió gran trascendencia social y política en España y que no tiene parangón en cinematografías de otros países. Para analizar el cine del destape desde una perspectiva histórica, hemos establecido el inicio de la investigación en las comedias sexy celtibéricas del tardofranquismo. Se trata de comedias de gran popularidad en las que encontramos las raíces de esa necesidad de liberación sexual que, una vez acabada la censura, se mostrará para dar forma al fenómeno del destape. Si consideramos que ahí se encuentra su origen, su final lo establecemos con la aprobación en 1984 de la exhibición del cine X, un factor que indica la normalización de la vida de los españoles respecto al sexo y que coincide con la consolidación democrática. Durante los aproximadamente veinte años que abarca la presente investigación, veremos como a través del cine más consumido se fueron destapando discursos en torno al cuerpo femenino, muy vinculados al peso de la moral franquista y al orden de género establecido. De ahí que hayamos centrado, principalmente, nuestra investigación en analizar la construcción discursiva de los arquetipos masculinos y femeninos, poniendo el foco en observar las continuidades y fisuras del orden de género, utilizando como pretexto el destape femenino. Hemos analizado este cine como una fuente a través de la que hacer una relectura de un período histórico muy analizado pero sobre el que se pueden verter nuevas y complejas lecturas. De esta forma, hemos diferenciado las películas con desnudo de las películas que destapan comportamientos, emociones y deseos frustrados, sobre todo en el terreno sexual. El cine popular de esos años tuvo una enorme capacidad de entretener y emocionar a millones de españoles y así fue utilizado como medio de trasmisión del discurso oficial franquista, tanto para perpetuar al régimen y su ideología como para adaptarse a los nuevos tiempos. Este cine de ficción con apariencia superflua e inofensiva representa los mecanismos de poder y sus vertebraciones en el campo de los comportamientos sociales. Pero, a su vez —y ese ha sido uno de los objetivos de esta investigación—, presenta desvíos en la forma de actuar de sus arquetipos que avanzan el cambio que se está produciendo, lo que hace de este cine agente y testigo de un relevante momento histórico.<br>The present investigation centers on the cinema known as “the uncovering” (“el destape”), which is defined by the eruption of naked bodies, mainly female, on cinema screens; a phenomenon that acquired great social and political significance in Spain and which is unparalleled in the cinema history of other countries. To analyse the cinema of “the uncovering” from a historical perspective, we have established the beginning of our investigation in the “celtiberic sexy comedies” that appeared in the last stages of Franco's dictatorship (tardofranquismo). A collection of very popular comedies which started to appear once the regime´s censorship was over, and where we find the roots of the need for sexual liberation, something that started to shape the phenomenon of “the uncovering”. Therefore if we consider that as its origin, we also need to consider the legalisation of porno films in 1984 as the end of the process, a factor that indicates the normalisation of sex in the lives of the Spanish people precisely when the democratic consolidation took place. During the approximately twenty years that covers our present investigation, we will see how the most consumed films were unveiling discourses around the female body which were closely linked to the weight of Francoist morality and the established gender order. Hence, we have mainly focused our research on analysing the discursive construction of male and female archetypes, homing in on the continuities and fissures of the gender order, using the revelation of the female form as a pretext. We have studied this cinema as a new source for a rereading of an arguably over-analysed historical period, but one where new and complex readings can certainly be made. In this way, we have differentiated films with nudity from films that uncover frustrated behaviours, emotions and desires, especially in the area of sexuality. The popular cinema of those years had an enormous capacity to entertain and thrill millions of Spanish people and thus was used as a means of transmitting the official Franco discourse, both to perpetuate the regime and its ideology, and to adapt to the new times. This fictional cinema, with its superfluous and harmless appearance, represents a mechanism of power and its presence as a backbone in the field of social behaviour. But, in turn, it shows deviations in the way these archetypes act, and how these archetypes foretold the changes taking place and that has been one of the objectives of this investigation, something that indeed makes this cinema both agent and witness to a crucial historical moment.

La época de la dictadura del general Primo de Rivera no ha sido aún suficientemente estudiada especialmente en el terreno cinematográfico. Sólo en estos últimos años se ha detectado un mayor interés por analizar más a fondo su naturaleza y características. Uno de los objetivos del trabajo es comprobar si el cine del momento es o no un reflejo de la sociedad española y por otra parte, si ese mismo cine tiene la capacidad de modelar esa sociedad. Por otro lado, también se intentará comprobar si se usaba como herramienta para transmitir contenidos ideológicos. Para conseguir esos objetivos, se acomete el análisis de veintitrés películas. El sistema empleado supone diversas fases. Primero una ficha técnico artística completa de la película. A continuación una síntesis argumental. En tercer lugar una breve reseña biográfica del autor del filme. Más adelante se procede a analizar la película en el contexto del momento en que fue realizada. Por último una valoración crítica de la película sobre todo en relación a los aspectos que se han tratado en el presente trabajo. Las películas suponen una buena muestra de la filmografía de la época. Para saber si el cine es capaz de modelar la sociedad conviene tener claro si se realiza mucho o poco cine español, dónde se hace, si va mucha gente a ver esas películas y si tratan de temas susceptibles de influir en los espectadores. Si hay poco cine, va poca gente, y los temas son superficiales, es lógico pensar que su influjo será nulo. En España se hicieron en esos años alrededor de 240 películas. Sin embargo hay dos datos cruzados que pueden influir en las respuestas. Por una parte, que de las películas hechas en España se solían hacer pocas copias, y por otro lado, que siendo el cine de esa época un espectáculo de masas, el interés de los espectadores iba especialmente al cine de Hollywood. De ahí que la capacidad del cine español de modelar la sociedad es escasa, por más que en sus películas se lo proponga. En cuanto a si reflejan la sociedad del momento, algo más de la mitad de los filmes estudiados reflejan aspectos de esa sociedad, por lo que se pueden convertir en herramienta en manos del historiador. Todo lo anterior se refiere a si eran o no un reflejo de la sociedad. Cuando nos preguntamos si pueden llegar a modelarla, la respuesta será diferente. Para poder modelar la sociedad hacen falta dos factores a la vez: que la película lo pretenda y que ese film tenga éxito y por tanto mucha gente lo vea y además quede impactada por lo que ha visto. Encontramos cinco películas que aúnan las dos condiciones. Las otras películas estudiadas, o no tuvieron buena recepción por parte del público, o no tenían posibilidad de modelar la sociedad por los temas que trataban o el modo como los trataban. Incluso algunos filmes no cumplían ninguna de las dos condiciones. El otro objetivo que se pretende es ver el poder del cine como herramienta ideológica a favor o en contra del gobierno de la Dictadura. Casi la mitad de las películas estudiadas transmiten algunas ideas que podrían entrar dentro del campo ideológico. Hay un grupo de películas que comparte los ideales de la Dictadura. Otro grupo que en una gran parte también los comparte. Por último encontramos dos películas que se posicionan en contra. Finalmente, se aporta en forma de apéndices un conjunto de fichas técnico-artísticas, puestas por orden cronológico de año de producción, de las películas realizadas durante los años de la dictadura de Primo de Rivera.<br>The dictatorship of general Primo de Rivera has yet to be studied in detail. Recently, there is an increased interest in a deeper analysis of his nature and character. The aims of this research are to verify whether or not the cinema of that time was a reflection of Spanish society and whether it had the capacity to influence that society. Also, it will attempt to establish whether it was used as a tool to transmit ideological content. To ascertain whether cinema is capable of influencing society, it is useful to have an idea of the number of this films produced, where they were produced, whether screenings were well attended, and whether the content of the films was the type of material likely to influence audiences. In Spain, around 240 films were made. However, there are two things to bear in mind which can influence our findings: that of the films made in Spain, usually few copies were made, and in addition, the cinema of this era being a mass-medium, the interest of the audiences was primarily in the films of Hollywood. Consequently the capacity of Spanish cinema to influence society is limited. As regards whether the society of that time was reflected, this is the case for more than half of the films studied. When we ask whether they can go as far as to influence society, the answer will be different. To achieve this, it is necessary to meet three conditions: that the film attempts to have influence, that the film is a success –and, accordingly, many people see it- and that the film has an impact on audiences. We find only a few films which meet these conditions. The last objective is to examine the power of cinema as an ideological instrument in favour of or against the Dictatorship. Almost half of the films studied transmit some ideas which could be considered ideological. There is a significant body of material which shares some or all of the ideals of the Dictatorship. We only find two films which position themselves against it. Finally, the credits of all the films produced during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship are provided as an appendix.