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This week we are going to explore the advent of sound in film, and the explosion of Surrealism and the Second Republic as agents of parts of the cultural production of literature and cinema in Spain during the latter 20s and early 30s. Andrés Zamora’s article “Violence (Spanish Eyes) will help us understand the role that violence plays in this period of cultural development, while Pavlovic, Zambrano, and Jiménez will help us see how dreams, demons, nightmares, returns, and remembrances play critical roles in such development.

With Pablo Berger’s Blancanieves/Snow White we will see these demons, memories, violence, and eyes gazing around even in 2012, after it was all said and done.  Technically.

This week we are going to explore silent cinema and its pioneers, as well as the relations between fascism, cinema, and literature.

By Thursday at midnight, or by Friday at 11am at the very latest, please post a blog entry in which you reflect upon the various points, issues, and topics we have brought up in our class and screening discussions.

What connections link literature and cinema with fascism in Spain during the first three decades of the 20th century?   What are some themes that you see emerging in the literary and cinematic representation of fascism in this era of pioneers (in film) and remixes (in literature)?  How do Florián Rey, Benito Perojo, and Luis Buñuel (in film), and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Salvador Rueda, José María Pemán, and Emilio Prados represent these early stages of fascism?

You do NOT have to engage ALL these questions, but you can choose one or more of them as the starting point to formulate and write your reflections about this week.

Rey’s La aldea maldita (The Damned Village)

https://vimeo.com/35870759

Buñuel’s Un chien andalou (An Andalusian Dog)

https://vimeo.com/12688293

Perojo’s La bodega (The Tavern)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC3q-d5BMD0