EU0291: Landmark Films from Spain and Latin America

School null
Department Code null
Module Code EU0291
External Subject Code R430
Number of Credits 20
Level L5
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Dr Ryan Prout
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2013/4

Outline Description of Module

Landmark Films from Spain and Latin America is an introduction to pivotal films from Spain, Cuba, and Mexico. Among the titles we will study are several films regarded as masterpieces of world cinema as well as more light hearted and entertaining movies. Early films by Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel are the starting point and the module follows the course of Spanish surrealism to Latin America with Los olvidados, one of the most outstanding films to be made in Mexico. A comedy from Spain, Bienvenido Mr Marshall ushers in a thaw in Spain’s post-war relationship with the rest of the world. More recent films by Pedro Almodóvar illustrate the enormous changes experienced in Spanish society in the 80s, especially the emergence of feminist discourse. From the surrealists’ revolutionary cinema, the module moves to the cinema of revolution and two films marking watersheds in Cuban history. Memorias del subdesarrollo and Fresa y chocolate explore the upheavals in twentieth century Cuban society and the first efforts to acknowledge in Cuban cinema the persecution of dissidents and minorities. The module aims to allow students to interpret what is specifically Spanish or Latin American about the core films and to be able to apply these insights and be confident in enjoying the body of Hispanic cinema. Lectures are supplemented by regular small group teaching in seminar format where students lead discussion of the films through presentation of assigned viewing and reading. 

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • Situate key films from Spain and Latin America within an understanding of the overall shape of film history  from the Spanish speaking world
  • Discuss in writing and in oral presentation the salient features of individual films and point to connections between cinematic and socio-historical discourse
  • Express an appreciation of key films from Spain and Latin America
  • Know the names of important figures in filmmaking from Spain and Latin America
  • Conjoin reference to key films with the specific national and political discourses (e.g. feminism) which inform them

How the module will be delivered

Teaching is by lecture and seminar format; screening of films will be followed by film-specific lectures and these will be further complemented by regular seminars where participants will be invited to summarise and debate their reading of the critical and interpretative literature.

Learning is facilitated through the provision of access to copies of the films on the syllabus, through guided study of texts pertinent to the subject matter, and through interaction with peers in tutorial format seminars where the lecturer acts in the role of facilitator of discussion and debate.

Learning Central provides a forum for students to share their presentations and also extends and supplements the learning environment.

Skills that will be practised and developed

1.    Intellectual Skills

  • Construction of a well formed and developed argument suitable for an academic essay or presentation
  • Critical reading of primary and secondary sources
  • Critical appreciation of cinema drawn from a variety of models

2.    TransferableSkills

  • Critical interpretation of historically and nationally situated texts
  • Lexical confidence with terminologies drawn from film studies and Hispanic studies
  • Presentation of an argument to a group of peers (seminar work)
  • Aural comprehension of Spanish
  • Spanish vocabulary and grammar gleaned from viewing and reading transferable to core language modules

How the module will be assessed

Students will be assessed through a coursework essay of 2000 words to be completed in the course of the Semesterand a 2-hour written exam.

By writing an essay which shows a knowledgeable familiarity with an individual film as well as an understanding of how the text speaks to the time which it represents, participants are able to demonstrate that they have viewed a film critically and have read and understood secondary sources. By presenting the results of an assignment to class, participants are able to demonstrate their understanding of the critical and interpretative literature generated by a film’s reception in Spain or Latin America and abroad.

Seminar presentations and the essay allow participants to deploy learning outcomes in a fusion of critical interpretation and factual knowledge. Students submit a written version of their presentation and receive annotated feedback on this as well as impromptu oral feedback from the tutor and their peers during the seminar.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Exam - Autumn Semester 70 Landmark Films From Spain And Latin America 2
Written Assessment 30 Essay N/A

Syllabus content

Films from Spain: Un perro andaluz / L’Âge d’or, Bienvenido Mr Marshall, Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios.

Films from Latin America: Memorias del subdesarrollo (Cuba), Los olvidados (Mexico), Fresa y chocolate (Cuba).

Essential Reading and Resource List

Core Texts[fragility of film sources may necessitate alterations]

Luis Buñuel, My Last Breath (2003)

Alberto Elena, The Cinema of Latin America: 24 Frames (2004)

Gwynne Edwards, The Discreet Art of Luis Buñuel (1982)

Virginia Higginbotham, Luis Buñuel (1979)

John Hill, Film Studies: Critical Approaches (2000)

José Álvarez Junco, Spanish History since 1808 (2000)

Marsha Kinder, Refiguring Spain: Cinema, Media, Representation (1997)

Alberto Mira, The Cinema of Spain and Portugal: 24 Frames (2004)

Paul Schroeder, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea: The Dialectics of a Filmmaker (2002)

Sue Thornham, An Introduction to Feminist Film Theory (1997))


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