Spain and Britain: 711-1648

• Study notes from a lecture given on Tuesday 4th March 2025 about Spain and Britain

Spain - Al-Andalus 711-1212

• The Iberian Peninsula was under Moorish/Muslim control for 500 years.
• This created ongoing tensions between Christian and Muslim communities.
• The period ended with the fall of Granada in 1492, marking the end of Muslim presence in the region.
• The Moors introduced cultural elements like the number system, eating courses, deodorant, toothpaste, and guitar.

Christopher Columbus

• In 1484, Columbus approached Portugal to finance his trip to find a trade route to the Indies.
• He was turned down by Portugal, Italy, France, and England, before Spain agreed.
• His voyage in 1519 brought back significant treasures to Seville.
• Spain brought back approximately 390 tons of gold and silver (worth about 63 trillion dollars today) , between 1519-1648

Spain Center of World 1519-1648

• This period saw Spain become incredibly wealthy from American treasures.
• The gold and silver from the Americas made Spain a global power.
• The value of treasures has likely increased due to recent stock market changes.

Spanish Inquisition 1478-1834

• Started after the Reconquista when Spain turned Christian Catholic.
• The Inquisition had a surprisingly long run.
• Non-Christian Catholics (especially Muslims) could be fined, arrested, tortured, or worse

Francisco Goya

• An artist in the 1700-1800s who started as a famous child artist and lived a long life.
• Made his living painting portraits for royal families.
• He created both clothed portraits for palaces and unclothed versions for private chambers.
• Also famous for "Saturn Devouring His Son" based on Greek mythology.
• His art criticized society.

Comte de Lautréamont

• A Uruguayan-born French writer.
• Work "Songs of Maldoror" featured a relentlessly evil main character who does terrible things.
• Work was hugely influential on surrealism and later artistic movements.

Arthur Rimbaud

• A French poet who completed all work before 20, and then stopped writing.
• Victor Hugo described him as "a youth Shakespeare."
• He had a sexually active, libertine lifestyle.

The Constructed Self

• Rimbaud said the first task of a person who wants to be a poet is to "study his soul."
• Rimbaud rejected identity based on name, birthplace, or background.
• Instead he believed in "derangement of all the senses."

Stephane Mallarme

• A French symbolist poet inspired by futurism (which hadn't yet emerged).
• He experimented with format, font sizes, types, and spacing in poetry.
• He said he was "inventing a language which must necessarily burst forth from a very new poetics."

Howl (Allen Ginsberg) 1955

• Part of the Beat Generation that led to the hippie generation.
• Represented a new language and approach to poetry.

Oneiric (film theory)

• Describes the dreamlike quality of films.
• About synthesizing dreams and reality into a new "surreality."
• Film has potential to "open the world up" beyond social conventions.

Experimental Films

• Breaks away from traditional narrative structures.
• Highlights the importance of imagination and unconscious elements in filmmaking.

Surrealist Automatism - Automatic Writing

• It brings the unconscious and dreams into reality.
• Automatism - automatic writing and drawing initially practiced by surrealists.
• "Surreality" - synthesizing dreams and reality.

El hotel eléctrico - Segundo de Chomón

• Silent Spanish comedy fantasy film.
• Chomon principally worked on creating visual effect of the films of others.
• Showed cinema can transcend social conventions and inspire new visions.

Lettrism

• Inspired by dada and surrealism.
• Isou viewed his yellow romania as greatest creator and rightful leader of dada movement.
• Andre Baton was a significant influence, but Isou was dissatisfied by what he saw as the stagnation and theoretical.

Death of Cinema?

• Artistic movements start with great energy but often die out.
• Ultra letterists announced death of cinema.

UK-Britain

• Hollywood films dominated because they shared the same language, making it a "big challenge" for British cinema.

The 1920's

• After WWI British cinema hardly existed.
• Britain's theatres convert to sound in 1927 and Hollywood movies take over.
• Cinematograph film act - set quotes on number of foreign films that can be shown.

Tradition of Quality

• Tasteful and well acted literary adaptations what british filmmakers do best.
• Paul Rotha questions whether britain had any ind of significant film movement.

BBC

• Established Jan 1 1927 world's first national broadcaster.
• A publicly owned corporation.
• Funded via a council fee that everyone pays for television

British Documentary Realism

• Britain outstanding contribution to the cinema.
• Humphrey Jennings did "big documentaries" about "poverty illnesses alcoholism".
• John Grierson used government funding for social documentaries.

General Post Office Film Unit

• Many new directors trained under Grierson.

Postwar British Cinema

• During WWI realist dominated cinema moved to more popular cinema.
• Concerns raised about standardisation, triviality, escapism, lack of artistic merit.

Free Cinema

• Extension of the documovement and quality film movement - importance of individual and significance of everyday.
• Their statement/ commentaries on contemporary society, were entirely personal.
• Films are made outside the film industry.

Emeric Pressburger and Micheal Poweel

• An Extravagant, international, poetic duo.
• Unique subgenre in British film industry.
• Characterized by surreal, strange storytelling where things keep moving.

British New Cinema - Social Realism

• Set in industrial areas like Manchester and Liverpool.
• Depicted frustrating, dead-end lives of working-class men.
• The period peaks around 1963, the rapidly declines as directors move on.

Socialist Realism VS Social Realism

• Socialist realism = Political, state supported, glorifies workers.
• Social realism = Cultural, challenges social reality.
• Gritty reality of the downtrodden underclass is social realism

1960s - Swinging London and Historical Features

• Decline in social realism and increase in american investment in british cinema.
• Rise of cultural hub in London.
• Influx of international directors.
• Associated with Rolling Stones era.

Socially Critical Naturalism

• Direct, harsh portrayal of real life.

Back to Spain - Civil War

• The Spanish civil war was from 1936-1939.
• There was no official support for either side from Amercia.
• American corporations assist the nationalist army, furnishing regular supply of trucks, tires, machine tools and fuels.

Fransisco Franco

• Took power during Spanish civil war and became Dictator of Spain.
• His title was changed to regent of Spain although he maintained sole power.

Stages

• Defascitazation, Segregation and Dictablanda.
• By the end of 1977 censorship was gone.

Pacto del oviedo (pact of oblivion)

• It Eliminated any vestiges of former crimes under franco.
• Changed with law of historical memory.

Back in the UK - 1980s

• Eady Levy is cut that allowed overseas based film companies to write off production costs by filming in the UK.
• Attracted big budget american productions to british studios in 1970s.
• Productions and audience tanks.
• Renewed optimism at end of 1980s with independent production companies such as Goldcrest, Handmade Films, and Merchant Ivory

1990s

• Tv broadcasters such as BBC and Channel 4 provided low-budget opportunities.

2000s

• Key players emerged: BBC Films Channel 4. UK Film Council Independent studios like Working Title.
• Secured financing and distribution deals with major American studios.
• Pinewood studios famous 007 stage featured one of the world's largest water tanks.

Scotland and Wales

• National film industries emerged in late 1980s,
• Growth linked to revival of national pride with Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.

75% of New Age Quickies

• 75% of productions financed from outside the country.
• Tax incentives allowed producers to write off 100% of first-year costs on films under £24 million.

Uk Films Council

• Created to develop and promote the UK film industry.
• The industry was being held together by the layer of strategic glue

Official Closure of UKFC

• Took place on March 31, 2011.
• Functions transferred to British Film Institute

Second Generation - Spain 1990s

• Spanish filmmakers meet in madrid for audiovisual espanol conference
• There was an Urge for the gov to protect spanish cinema from hollywood.
• Focuses on working-class experiences.
• Aims to show unfiltered social realities.