Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (BFI Film Classics) - Softcover

Evans, Peter William

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9781839022524: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (BFI Film Classics)

Synopsis

Pedro Almodóvar's 1988 black comedy-melodrama Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown established its director as one of the most exciting of European film-making talents. An often hilarious study of sexual mores, Women on the Verge has a central character, Pepa (Carmen Maura), as warm and richly drawn as any modern film heroine. Made strong and self-reliant by suffering in a troubled relationship, Pepa is the centre of a network of lovers, friends and family who represent a vivid cross-section of Spanish society.

Peter William Evans provides a formidable analysis of Almodóvar's insights into gender, sexuality and identity. Evans sees Women on the Verge as concerned with the often tyrannical spell of sexual desire and the anxieties of relationships and families, but also with the possibilities for personal liberation. He discusses the film in the context of the history of Spain and the social revolution that occurred after the death of Franco.

In his foreword to this new edition, Evans reflects upon Women on the Verge in the light of Almodóvar's subsequent films, and the impact of Carmen Maura's performance as Pepa on the representation of women in Spanish cinema.

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About the Author

PETER WILLIAM EVANS is Emeritus Professor of Film at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. His publications include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1996) and Written on the Wind (2013) in the BFI Film Classics series; Luis Buñuel: New Readings (co-edited, 2004), and Carol Reed (2005).

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Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780851705408: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (BFI Film Classics)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0851705405 ISBN 13:  9780851705408
Publisher: British Film Institute, 1996
Softcover