Lope de Vega on Spanish Screens, 1935-2020: The Shadow of the Phoenix

The book examines the film and television adaptations of Lope de Vegas theatrical dramas in Spain since the mid-twentieth century, challenging the notion that the canonical author held a privileged position in the dictatorial propaganda machine. It analyzes adaptations produced during and after the dictatorship and questions whether they can resonate with modern audiences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

This book offers a comprehensive exploration and analysis of the film and television adaptations of Lope de Vegas theatrical dramas that have been presented on Spanish screens since the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on a multidisciplinary approach, Allen incorporates critical media literacy studies, film and adaptation studies, literary theory, cultural studies, and cultural historiography in his analysis. Allen contends that, despite the problematic reception of Lopes works in Francoist Spain, the canonical author never held a privileged position in the dictatorial propaganda machine. In fact, adaptations of Lopes theater productions were subjected to the same rigorous scrutiny, if not more, than any other screenplays that fell under censorship's microscope. Allen examines adaptations produced during and after the nearly forty-year dictatorship and raises the question of whether the adaptors of the democratic era created films and television shows that can effectively convey the spirit of Lopes life and works to modern audiences. This book will be of particular interest to scholars of film and television studies, adaptation studies, and history.

Weight: 553g
Dimension: 227 x 161 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666911770