A Spanish Labyrinth: The Films of Pedro Almodóvar

by Mark Allinson, Pedro Almodóvar

AlmodOvar is Spain's most successful and controversial director, representing a unique blend of art-house auteur and popular film-maker. His films, with their mix of Hollywood and European styles and of popular melodrama and comedy, have been attracting growing international audiences since the success of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A Spanish Labyrinth is a much needed, clear, and comprehensive introduction to the films of AlmodOvar, investigating the cultural and national contexts for his work, issues of gender, sexuality, stars, genre, visual style, music, and much more. It is the ideal companion to AlmodOvar for students of film and Hispanic Studies, as well as those generally interested in film and Spanish culture.

Genres: Film

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most satisfying film books concerning a limited amount of works in my experience tend to be ones that have a clear division between each film and deals with the different aspects of it individually. This book, on the other hand, takes more of an auteur approach and completely mixes all Almodovar's works (up until Todo Sobre Mi Madre), creating cohesive chapters about themes and topics instead. It actually works well.

I don't like it as a book to look up a critic's analysis of a particular film, but as a book to read and to make you feel informed about Almodovar's work, it's really well-written and interesting.

[Konstantijn De Grote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and detailed, but not updated.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detallado e interesante. Condensa los aspectos más importantes de Almodóvar en solo 200 páginas y consigue explicarlos de manera clara y concisa, aunque nunca simple.