Nationalism in Jesus Franco's films Research Paper

Nationalism in Jesus Franco's films - Research Paper Example Jess Franco is a director who has produced over 180 films in a span of 45 years. This essay will examine the symbolic interpretation of Jesus Franco's films in regards to Spanish Nationalism. It also focuses on the reoccurring visuals and themes in Franco's films including choking, bondage, mirrors, colors and repression. Spanish Nationalism insists that all Spaniards are one family and should be united as one in terms of culture and language. Spanish nationalism has been expressed in various forms including films. Spaniards view themselves as a unique country considering that they were the first country in Europe to achieve political, social and economic unity. The Spaniards, who are believed to be traditionally xenophobic, resented ‘other’ nationalities in the 19th century. When discussing Spanish nationalism, it is important to realize the meaning of the term in the Spanish context. In nationalism, the emphasis is put on national unity. Nationalism is associated with a struggle to unify people and an uprising against oppression. Nationalism is normally forward looking and aims to achieve better living standards and unification of a people. Jesus Franco used his films to express his individuality and to fight for the freedom of filmmakers. Franco, together with another renowned Spanish film maker known as Carillo played an important role in Spanish Nationalism. Franco, who has specialized in low cost horror, thrillers, pornography and films based on science fiction (Corliss, n. p.). This is perhaps the reason why despite having produced hundreds of films, Franco still remains largely unrecognized in the Spanish film industry. Most of the films by Jess Franco had melodramatic endings, justifying his choice of characters and use of imagery. It is important to note that the 20th century was quite aesthetic and as such memory and remoteness were coincidental. In order to understand the contributions made by Jesus Franco in the Spanish Nationalism, yo u may need to trace the history of filmmaking in Spain. In the 1960s, it was not easy to make films. Most of the films simply had themes filled with melodrama (Graham, n. p.). The fascist government in Spain at the time imposed stringent Censorship rules which made the types of films produced by Jesus rare. Franco, however, did not wish to obey these rules and instead produced films that expressed his anger towards the censors. In the 20th century, cinema in the Spain has helped in defining and constructing an identity for the nation. This was especially important considering that in the 20th century; there was a general climate of globalism, social liberation, repression and democratization. Being During this time, Spain was referred to as the Francoist Spain owing to the fact that the country was being run by Francisco Franco, a dictator. Franco attempted to promote nationalism by suppressing the cultural diversity which existed at the time. Franco contributed to Spanish Nationali sm by producing films based on the ills that were happening in society, many of which the mainstream cinema were not willing to highlight. In the 1950s when Franco began his career, the Fancoist government was sponsoring the inculcation of traditional and religious beliefs in Spain. Due to the nature of films that Jesus Franco produced, he did not fit into any of the existing categories of film producers. Franco, through the