Spanish Cinema I (taught in Spanish)

Course description

The objectives of the course are to critically discuss the films shown in class and to use film to deepen knowledge of conversational Spanish (formal and informal registers, dialects, etc.) and the Spanish sociopolitical and cultural reality.

Methodology

In all sessions, before showing the film, students will work on:

• The synopsis
• Cast credits
• Crew credits
• Reviews of the film
• The cinematographic career of the director
• Filmography
• The argument and themes of the film *
• Characters and their relationships
• The sociocultural and historical framework of film
• The lexical field (vocabulary and idiomatic expressions)

*The argument is considered the story or issue addressed in the film. It could be based on real or fictitious events, or be an adaptation of a literary work.

Once the pre-viewing task has been completed, the film will be shown, followed by a talk with the students.

Assessment system

• Attendance and participation in class: 20%
• First mid-semester examination: 40%
• Second mid-semester examination: 40%

Programme

During the course, films and excepts will be shown from some of the most representative work in Spanish film, from its origins to the present day. Some of the output of the most acclaimed authors will be analysed, including Buñuel, Bardem, García Berlanga, Saura, etc. and there will be a particular focus on some productions by the most relevant directors: Almodóvar, Trueba, Amenábar, Medem, Emilio Martínez Lázaro, Inés París, and Daniela Fejerman, among others.