Almodovar: Labyrinths of Passion - Softcover

Edwards, Gwynne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0720611210 ISBN 13: 9780720611212

Publisher: Peter Owen Ltd, 2001

Synopsis

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has produced more than a dozen highly original films. This extraordinarily creative and imaginative film-maker deals with passion and desire in all its forms: from the 'pop' world of Pepi, Luci, Bom and All the Girls on the Heap through to the unconventional nuns of Dark Habits, the serial killer lovers of Matador, the frantic women of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the obsessive passions of Live Flesh and the moving tragi-comic world of All About My Mother. He has created a body of work which, with its intriguing characters, dramatic situations, powerful emotions, labyrinthine plots, brilliant use of colour and evocative music, has all the complexity and fascination of life itself.
This important new study will appeal to Almodovar's devotees and to film students alike, with its chronological examination of the director's career. It sheds light on each individual film, demonstrates the connections between one movie and another and examines the director's progression in terms of genre, style and cinematic technique to reveal Almodovar's growing mastery of his art.

About this title

From Library Journal

Pedro Almod¢var's provocative films went from international camp status to Academy Award-winning glory in 2000 when All About My Mother won Best Foreign Language Film. The flamboyant Spanish director, known for his outrageous dramedies revolving around passionate Spanish men and strong-willed yet frantic women, is perhaps the most famous European director alive. His most recognized films include Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down!, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Flower of My Secret. Edwards (The Discreet Art of Luis Bu¤uel) provides a basic introduction to Almod¢var's 13 films as well as a few black-and-white stills of his charismatic troupe of actors, such as Antonio Banderas, Pen‚lope Cruz, and Javier Bardem, all now familiar to American audiences. Edwards provides a brief biography of Almod¢var in her introduction and ends with a quick summarization of his entire body of works. In between, she devotes ten well-researched chapters to the director's works and discusses budget, film premieres, reviews both in Spain and internationally, tales about production, plot analysis, cinematography, and the cultural relevance of a film's theme. A handy filmography, bibliography, and index make this book an important, up-to-date study for both devotees and newcomers to Almod¢var's over-the-top dramas. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries with film collections. Adriana Lopez, "Criticas"
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peter Owen Ltd
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0720611210
• ISBN 13: 9780720611212
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 223