Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 21, 2007, 1:21 am

How about the Cantinflas film?

Comment from Ben
Time: January 21, 2007, 2:10 am

Is that the name?

Comment from Pedrito J
Time: January 21, 2007, 12:31 pm

Ben, you are soooo right.

Unfortunately, though spanish cinema is every day less interesting (audience is decreasing according to official data), we are still forced to pay spanish directors and producers, so they can keep undressing.

Comment from Carl
Time: January 21, 2007, 4:36 pm

The last time I was in Madrid I tried to view only Spanish movies to improve my language skills but I got depressed. Most seem dark, etc. like you say.

Is the Spanish film industry subsidized? A la french cinema? If so, that might explain why directors make what they want to show, not what most may want to see.

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 21, 2007, 6:05 pm

I meant films by Cantinfas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantinflas

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 21, 2007, 6:06 pm

Does Pan’s Labyrinth count?

Comment from Alison B
Time: January 21, 2007, 9:21 pm

Here’s one without nudity - “Mar Adentro” (The Sea Inside) with Javier Bardem. Very moving, serious and wonderful movie based on the true story of a Galician poet. Deals with assisted suicide; pretty heavy, but worth it.

Comment from Ben
Time: January 21, 2007, 10:47 pm

VS - Is there any nudity in Pan’s Lab?

Alison - yes, you are right!

Comment from Marina
Time: January 21, 2007, 11:11 pm

Cantinflas is Mexican so I guess it doesn’t count.

Sorry to disagree with you Carl, I think the good thing about Spanish cinema is precisely that directors get to develop their projects, even if the films are a bit weird and not as commercial as in other countries. Truly, there are lots of Spanish good films;-)

And finally, Ben, the nudity is a cultural thing that we have spoken about in one of the Spanish podcasts (http://www.notesinspanish.com/2006/08/29/notes-in-spanish-podcast-advanced-40-el-destape/). It is a direct product of the repression in Franco’s time.

Comment from Sully
Time: January 22, 2007, 2:21 am

How about Lucia y el sexo? Oh, wait - that’s full of nudity.

How about these, then?

La vida secreta de las palabras
Todo sobre mi madre
La lengua de las mariposas
Seres queridos
El espiritu de la colmena
Los lunes al sol
El Espinazo del diablo
La flor de mi secreto

Comment from Ben
Time: January 22, 2007, 8:40 am

I’m afraid even La lengua de las mariposas has a couple being caught in flagrante rolling in the hay! I think you are right about the others though, thanks!

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 22, 2007, 1:47 pm

Marina, do you think Spain’s culture will ever stop or decrease their tendency to compensate for the Franco repressions?

Comment from Marina
Time: January 22, 2007, 3:22 pm

It would be “normal” to think that once the generations that lived during Franco’s era die this tendency will disappear, but I don’t think that will happen so quickly. For example I was only a few months old when Franco died but still I grew up with this tendency to change and compensate Franco’s actions. So I think this tendency is part of our culture now a days. On the other hand probably my tendency is much less strong that the one of someone that grew up to adulthood during Franco’s dictatorship. (With the exceptions of pro-Franco people of course)

Comment from Marina
Time: January 22, 2007, 3:24 pm

So my conclusion is it will take some time and definitely some things will stay just as a part of our culture.

Comment from Carl
Time: January 22, 2007, 3:59 pm

Yes Marina, the films are interesting and of course not as commercial as American movies that always have a happy ending, and I think it is good that they are there. I am just saying that they probably would not make it to the screen without the subsidies.

And what about the pornography on broadcast TV after midnight? It seems like that may be going too far as a “compensation” for Franco.

Comment from Jan (landlady)
Time: January 22, 2007, 5:24 pm

So far I have to agree, especially after borrowing and viewing the DVD’s Jamon Jamon and ‘Y tu madre también’!

I am still embarrassed by the overtly sexual ornaments and postcards displayed in the tourist shops here. in full view of any passing children….. not just saucy, but in my opinion, crude and pornographic at times.

Think I will stick to the kiddies films in Spanish from now on….

Comment from Tom Clarke
Time: January 22, 2007, 6:49 pm

If I remember correctly, the lengthy nude scenes were removed from the classic comedy, Bienvenido Mr Marshall.

Joking apart, the Spanish have got a healthier attitude to this sort of theing than the Anglos. I think their frank approach to nudity and sex in general encourages a more open and mature society. There is, of course, the risk that women are pressured into going topless in order to get a film role but I don’t reckon that happens very much. Is it exploitation or empowerment?

I guess I’ll have to rent Lucia Y El Sexo again. Just to check.

Comment from Tom Clarke
Time: January 22, 2007, 6:50 pm

Oh yeah, and Y Tu Mama Tambien - that’s Mexican isn’t it?

Comment from Ben
Time: January 22, 2007, 7:04 pm

It’s Mexican, and pretty damn sexy!

Comment from Sarralucia
Time: January 23, 2007, 1:41 am

Pan’s Labyrinth shows no nudity. It’s quite different (and very good). But even though it’s a Spanish story with a Spanish cast, it is a Mexican production (Guillermo del Toro). It’s worth seeing it…

Comment from Akaky
Time: January 23, 2007, 1:43 am

Hey hey hey, none of that now. If the Spanish want to keep putting good looking girls in movies without their skivvies on then more power to them.

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 23, 2007, 4:22 am

Though a lot of American films are more commercial than Spanish films, I don’t think it is a fair statement to say all American films are a commercial bore with guaranteed happy endings. American Beauty, Bobby and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are a few examples. We have quite a few independent films coming out of the Sundance Film Festivals and the Tribeca Film Festivals every year. I have to say though, there’s a lot of angst in the few spanish films I’ve seen. That as opposed to the nudity is what I notice the most as the common thread in spanish films.

Comment from carl
Time: January 23, 2007, 6:24 am

Be careful ValenicaSon, I was throwing a softball saying that all American movies are commercial bores. That’s what all Europeans love to hear - and they do believe it. But you will get unpopular by defending anything American. The problem? American movies outdraw European ones.

Comment from Pedrito J
Time: January 23, 2007, 1:06 pm

I guess that we spaniards are becoming tired of paying taxes that allow Bardem and alikes to make movies that little people is interested in.

For the moment being, we still have compulsory quotas in cinemas and TV as well, to assure that they will keep showing spanish movies that consumers would not voluntarily pay.

New laws are planned to increase tax pressure on citizens to guarantee minimum wages for so-called artists.

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 23, 2007, 2:40 pm

Well people may say one thing (whatever is popular) but in the end they speak with their wallets.

Comment from Tom Clarke
Time: January 23, 2007, 5:46 pm

Carl - I prefer American movies to Spanish ones… for what it’s worth. I thought Pan’s Labyrinth was the most over-rated load of tosh I’ve seen in a long time. But then, it had no nudity.

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 23, 2007, 7:46 pm

I wonder how a film like Pulp Fiction was received in Spain, the UK and the rest of Europe.

Comment from sully
Time: January 23, 2007, 8:52 pm

Related to the American/European film dichotomy, there was an article in the NY Times yesterday. I can’t get the link to post correctly, but the article was “The World Is Watching. Not Americans.” By A. O. SCOTT (These days, the cosmopolitanism of international filmmaking is matched by the parochialism of American film culture.)

Comment from Ben
Time: January 23, 2007, 9:01 pm

Here is the link, very interesting too!
http://tinyurl.com/2unmjg

Comment from Ben
Time: January 23, 2007, 9:03 pm

VS - everyone LOVED pulp fiction in the UK. At least young males did anyway!

Comment from Parubin
Time: January 24, 2007, 9:53 am

Valenciason :
Pulp Fiction was a great success in Spain too.

I think everyone (both in Spain and in the rest of Europe as well) will have to agree that American films are way better than both, Spanish and European films.
Of course in Spain and in Europe, sometimes we can produce a piece of good quality entertainment, but, come on, films have to be considered one of the greatests american inventions (disregarding the Lumiere brothers) and us, Europeans, are only lucky if only sometimes we can get close to them.

For instance, let’s have some recent examples, let’s take a look at last years Oscar nominees for best picture. If I rember correctly this films were : * Crash, * Brokeback Mountain, * Good Night and Good Luck, * Munich and * Capote. Some other masterpieces were left out, such as Woody Allen’s Match Point.

This was only last year’s example, but Americans give out such great films on a regular basis. Let’s face it. When have we, Europeans, been able to produce such an incredible amount of quality and passion on screen??

The label of American films being stupid commercial bores with happy endings is so wrong. Their industry is so big that they cover the whole spectrum, but when they do a good movie (which is quite often) they are unmatchable.

As to Spanish films, yes, sometimes we do interesting things, like ‘Volver’ (which I think shows no nudity, at least I don’t remember) or ‘El Laberinto del Fauno’ (Pan’s Labyrinth) which, by the way is Spanish, despite having a Mexican director (Guillermo del Toro). The cast, plot, story and production comes from Spain (in fact it has been produced by Spanish TV channel, Tele Cinco).

Pingback from Pen goes for the Oscar - Notes from Spain: Travel, Living in Spain, Podcasts, Forum and Photos
Time: January 24, 2007, 10:25 am

[...] And Speaking of Spanish film (the post on nudity in Spanish cinema below is the most commented on in a long time!), it seems Penelope Cruz has been nominated for Best Female Actress in the upcoming Oscars, for her role in the excellent (and strangely not nominated) Volver. I find it strange that a Spanish actress has been nominated for this award based on a role in a Spanish film. I shall be very surprised if she wins… [...]

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: January 24, 2007, 7:09 pm

Pan’s Labyrinth did get nominated for Achievement in art direction, Achievement in cinematography, Best foreign language film of the year, Achievement in makeup, Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score), and Original screenplay. Not too shabby. http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/noms.html

I still intend to see Volver as well as Pan’s Lab.

Comment from Ben
Time: January 24, 2007, 10:33 pm

I think I better see Pan’s Lab at some point too…

Comment from Steve
Time: January 24, 2007, 10:47 pm

I saw Pan’s Labyrinth a couple of months ago and then the director del Toro did a Q&A. It was a great film and he was hilarious. I don’t understand how someone could dislike this movie but oh well. I have been on a Spanish/Latin American film kick ever since I joined Netflix a few months ago. I have decided that I can’t really watch american movies anymore. Not all of them are terrible but most of them seem like a waste of time and not very creative. Plus there are no boobies. just kidding…or am i?

Comment from Sean
Time: May 29, 2007, 1:18 pm

Well i think that alot of people who think that american film is of better quality actually only see american films by and large, which is actually the case with myself and this is down to various political and cultural reasons, I live in Europe and I am shocked with myself and others at the amount of european films we watch, I am sure that if i watched more european films I would discover that there are just as talented filmakers in Europe as anywhere in the world, creative intelligence and craft is never the property of one country. It doesn’t take a big budget to make a good film, Balzac wrote 20 novels with a quill pen!!!!!!