Redefining gender in twenty-first century spanish cinema: the films of Pedro Almodóvar

Wardrop, Georgina (2011) Redefining gender in twenty-first century spanish cinema: the films of Pedro Almodóvar. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The aim of this research is the evolving cultural conception of gendered identities in prominent and significant films produced in 21st Century Spanish cinema of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. This research project will examine how new images of gender representations appear at the turn of the 21st Century in which the focus is characterised by the tensions between subjective experience and the broader social collectivity. A gender-based theoretical framework will be applied, using psychoanalysis as a tool to deconstruct, analyse and gain in-depth insight into strategies applied by Almodóvar in order to challenge patriarchal and repressive stereotypes and practices throughout his 21st Century filmography. This analysis will create a dialogue between psychoanalytic theory and the film narrative, demonstrating how psychoanalytic notions have been portrayed through the medium of film, defining male and female subjectivity in cinema and in wider society. This thesis examines the creation of what could be considered a “New Spanish Cinema” upon which the representation and perceptions of gendered identities can be regarded as having moved towards a sense of sophistication. Given the increasing importance attached to cultural and gender studies, research into 21st Century Spanish cinema is still a new and largely unexplored area. This thesis provides a distinctive contemporary insight into Spanish Cinema and gender politics. The discourse constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed by Pedro Almodóvar will be analysed in order to represent new conceptions of identity, sexuality and the redefinition of gender in 21st Century Spanish Film.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: gender, identity, spanish cinema, spanish film, spain, 21st century, gender representations, psychoanalysis, film theory, film studies, Pedro Almodóvar, Almodóvar, feminine, masculine, sexuality, gender politics, redefinition, hable con ella, talk to her, la mala educación, bad education, volver, los abrazos rotos, broken embraces, hispanic studies, dominant cinema, feminismm, cinema, film, film analysis
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Hispanic Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Pastor, Dr. Brigida
• Date of Award: 2011
• Depositing User: Miss Georgina M Wardrop
• Unique ID: glathesis:2011-2925
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 24 Oct 2011
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 14:02
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/2925