Imagen fílmica del lesbianismo a través de los personajes protagonistas en el cine español.
Analysis of the cinematographic image of lesbianism through the main characters within Spanish cinema
Author
Summary, in English
The aim of this research is to analyze the cinematographic image of lesbianism in Spanish cinema by critically analyzing and evaluating full-length films produced in Spain from 1972 to 2005 starring lesbian characters.
The analysis model that has been used was developed by J.C. Alfeo (1997) in his work about film representation of male homosexuality and it is based on S. Chatman (1990) and P. Hammon’s (1997) postulates. It allows to track the traces of a character’s film portrait by means of their direct (appearance, sociological & psychological profile) and their indirect analysis (action, space, and time). The study investigated the representation of parameters such as age, education & socioeconomic level, social visibility, and the acceptance degree of lesbianism depending on various contexts including personal, family, professional, social, etc. This study has especially focused on the cinematic treatment of differential actions and their development, as well as their association to other social behaviors.
The conclusions of this dissertation reveal that there has been some development on the film treatment of lesbianism (i.e. films have been located in two out of the four representation modalities, as proposed by J.C. Alfeo). Additionally, a specific thematic observation pertaining to the film representation of lesbianism has been located, namely the erotic modality. Furthermore, evidence is found for the existence of a consistent cinematographic typology for lesbian characters.
This research demonstrates that cinematic plots within Spanish cinema tend to frame lesbianism within the context of rejection, depicting them as vulnerable social victims, regardless of the timeframe or characterization or modality involved.
Lastly, in view of the convergences and divergences between homosexual and lesbian realities in terms of socialization, an analysis has been made of the differences in their representation within Spanish cinema, as well as the differences regarding their representation modalities and characters’ typology.
The analysis model that has been used was developed by J.C. Alfeo (1997) in his work about film representation of male homosexuality and it is based on S. Chatman (1990) and P. Hammon’s (1997) postulates. It allows to track the traces of a character’s film portrait by means of their direct (appearance, sociological & psychological profile) and their indirect analysis (action, space, and time). The study investigated the representation of parameters such as age, education & socioeconomic level, social visibility, and the acceptance degree of lesbianism depending on various contexts including personal, family, professional, social, etc. This study has especially focused on the cinematic treatment of differential actions and their development, as well as their association to other social behaviors.
The conclusions of this dissertation reveal that there has been some development on the film treatment of lesbianism (i.e. films have been located in two out of the four representation modalities, as proposed by J.C. Alfeo). Additionally, a specific thematic observation pertaining to the film representation of lesbianism has been located, namely the erotic modality. Furthermore, evidence is found for the existence of a consistent cinematographic typology for lesbian characters.
This research demonstrates that cinematic plots within Spanish cinema tend to frame lesbianism within the context of rejection, depicting them as vulnerable social victims, regardless of the timeframe or characterization or modality involved.
Lastly, in view of the convergences and divergences between homosexual and lesbian realities in terms of socialization, an analysis has been made of the differences in their representation within Spanish cinema, as well as the differences regarding their representation modalities and characters’ typology.
Publishing year
2011
Language
Spanish
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Topic
- Gender Studies
Keywords
- Spanish cinema
- lesbianism
- bisexuality
- representation
- characters.
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Juan Carlos Alfeo Alvarez
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 978-84-694-2459-9
Defence date
19 May 2009
Defence time
12:00
Defence place
Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
Opponent
- Christopher Perriam (Professor of Hispanic Studies)