Spanish Cinema During The Dictatorship

Spanish picture During The DictatorshipSpanish cinema was highly affected by the effects of the civil contend private investment in the end product of commercial tears fell drastic comp permitelyy. The rural area was divided in two areas which were facing the effects of having military forces. This status was reflected specially in the movie effort beca utilize at the season no- wizard valued to invest in any(prenominal) sassy projects. Nevertheless, movie battlegrounds in the solely plain were doing intensely well all through the war they were screen local deeds as for recitation, Florin Reys clichd Morena Clara (1936) and in any case, they were importing popular Ameri ordure productions. The Republican, who had the control e very(prenominal)place the principal centres of urban movie-making, gave authorization for the production of more than than 200 tears during the conflict. be side of meats, at the beginning of 1938 it st impostureed to be perceived that the Republican policy-making relation was going to be surmounted and on that pointfore several members of the cinema constancy started to organize their de bankrupture more or less of them were Republican supporters.The coachs Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buuel, Carlos Velo, etc also many actors as for example, Jos Luis Baviera, Margarita Xirgu, Ana Mara Custodio, Alberto Closes, Rosita Daz Gimeno, Carmen Amaya accompanied by a huge convocation of technicians such as the editor Jos Caizares, the camera operator Jos Mara Beltrn and the majority of the group members who were in charge of Andr Malrauxs Lespoir Sierra de Teruel, migrated from Spain to countries such as France, Argentina and Mexico. These were countries in which Spanish speakers had the opportunity to continue their work in the adopt intentness. The contract director Buuel was the perfect example of roughly whiz that was able to adapt to a look forced turn out of Spain. later on he was exiled in 1946 he resolv ed to go to Mexico and in 1949 became a Mexican citizen. However a life-size call of movie house makers who had started their careers under the Republicans and were sympathizers of the democratic government stayed at Francos berth for example, Juan de Ordua, Antonio del Amo, Benito Perojo, Florin Rey, Edgar Neville, Eduardo Garca Maroto, Rafael Gil, etc. The civil war in conclusion stop on April 1939 afterwards Spain assumed a military authoritarianism with humankind(a) Franco in command.Obviously, the impudently management of the Spanish cinema industry during the monocracy had a real negative repercussion on the fool away industry and could and lead to the better opportunity for those who were in the power to confide several crimes such as fraud, patronage, use of favours etc.It is important to high spot the fact that in 1940 three main ordained regulations were established and hence submitted leading to the Spanish strike industry to suffer the side effects o f these intransigent regulations for many geezerhood.These regulations were arbitrary dubbingOfficial state upstartsreel movie house censoringSpanish picture palace during the dictatorship engage Censorship consider censorship had been presented to Spain when the country was still facing the civil war in 1938 then in 1939 during the dictatorship of Franco it was stipulated all through the nation. During this period all characterization scripts had to endure a pre-censorship, shooting scripts had to be ap testifyd and Spanish haves were required to have an exposition licence, changes to image and sound tracks, cuts in pick out movies were as well imposed and in that location was authorization of dubbing and subtitling.Film censorship was characterised for its inefficiency, for non be consistent when making decisions, and also for organism arbitrary in its choices. Nevertheless it is difficult to establish if censorship safarid the equal impact on Spanish cinema as posi tive dubbing.Compulsory dubbing into Spanish and the taxation of all films that were imported from impertinent countries were introduced by the industry and commerce ministry in April 1941. These two mea sealeds are normally seen as a consequence of Axis satisfactory pass ons during the Second World War. However it seems to have more connection with Francos constant attempts to Hispanicize Spanish horticulture. At this conviction over 50% of the public couldnt read or write and just about of Spain besides spoke Spanish and didnt speak any other terminology and therefore Spanish film viewers soon got used to ceremonial occasion opposed films in dubbed Spanish. The film industry quickly realised that they could acquire more profit from dubbed films than from use subtitles in films as a result it was easier for censors to manipulate soundtracks and images. Nevertheless, compulsory dubbing drastically affected the country sparingally and industrially. It caused a long damag e to Spanish film productions the main earthableness was that Foreign and Spanish films were in a position of equal availableness to Spanish interviews and thus distri thoors and exhibitors aband bingled essentransient ischemic attackl elements in the effort to thrashing international competition. what is more, the importation of international productions for distribution and even for exhibition was set(p) by the concession of import licences to national film producers. These licenses were given by official organisations to national film makers depending on the ideology of their productions.It was typical that the producers who back up Francos governing who behaved in a moderate and morally acceptable route would obtain three or quintuple import permits. However, there were nigh films for example El davo (1944) enjoin by Rafael Gil and El escndalo (1943) order by Jos Luis Senz de Heredia that won fifteen licences. Then these were sold for a pickle of money, normally thro ugh the illicit black market, mainly to distributors from America who were prove in Spain. The Spanish audience seemed to prefer foreign productions and therefore producers became in truth rich from selling import permits. This was also true for the distributers and exhibitors who also became in truth wealthy from screening foreign movies. As a consequence of this, for nearly ten historic period, the Spanish film industry was only used as a simply way of making very unattackable net profit from selling import licences.Spanish industry started suffering the consequences of a unfermentedborn law compulsory official newsreels commonly recognised as NODO which was presented in December 1942 and had to be screened in all cinemas in Spain. This was basically political publication propaganda used by the regime that had as its main calculate to influence Spanish masses by the use of inaccurate information. NO-DO which is the acronym for Noticieros y Documentales Cinematograficos w as used instead of the Italian and the German newsreels in cinemas in Spain and was compulsory until 1976. Unluckily, the mandatory introduction of NO-DO newsreels in Spain efficiently excluded a large anatomy of newborner national film-makers from presenting their work to the public such as, animation, documentaries or victimize and this certainly discouraged others to study in these areas.To lessen the gravity of the inglorious effects of the NO-DO policy, the regime presented a list of new protectionist measures that benefited the Spanish film industry. The following are some of these measuresRevised classification schemes, screen quotas (initially one week of Spanish film for every six of a foreign film).Official loans with which to finance up to 40 per cent of a film budget.Official prize of 400.000 pesetas. field interestingness deed overs for deserving films.Until about 1945, the regime of ordinary Franco had its favourite film literary genres, especially one called c ine de cruzada or films invigorate by war, which also commemorated the Franco regimes victories in the civil war, disapproved the defeated Republican and celebrated the power of the armed forces, the ghost akin, and colonialist values of the new multitude who ruled the country by that time. These films entangled Escuadrilla (1941), Boda en el infierno (1942) and Los ltimos de Filipinas (1945), all say by Antonio Romn. Harka (1941) directed by Carlos Arvalo, El crucero Baleares (1941) directed by Enrique del campo and Juan de Orduas A m legin (1942). on that point was especially one film called Raza (The Race) (1942) directed by Jos Luis Senz de Heredia which was without doubt one of the more significant films for the genre. Towards the end of 1940 and As the nation came to terms with the dramatic repercussions of the bally(a) civil war that had just ended, and while the rest of Europe act in its own devastating conflict, Franco found the time to write a brief novella entitl ed Raza. Published under the pseudonym Jaime de Andrade, Raza was incorporate like a screenplay and low-cally intended to be made into a film a semi autobiographical film, reflecting aspects of Francos real life.In 1945 with the foreseen defeat of the Axis, the descent in influence of Falange (Political organisation) and the ideology adopted by Franco of National Catholicism, the principles of the cine de cruzada was transformed into different nationalist genres. These also contained the period drama, the folkloric comedy, the historical movie, and the religious film.Comedies seemed to be preferred by the box office, the reason being this genre of film was the about popular and therefore the most profitable especially films directed by Edgar Neville, Rafael Gil and Jos Luis Senz de Heredia who produced many clichd, bullfighting films and folkloric musicals. These types of films were characterised for their light forest and being cheerful in nature and having low production valu es. However, these films were produced for light-headed viewing also, audience had the opportunity to participate. These were vehicles which were pee-peed around the best singers of that time, for example, Juanita Reina, Carmen Sevilla, Lola Florez, Paquita Rico, Currito de la Cruz, and Conchita Piquer as in Florin Rey La Dolores (1940). Yet in a time in which international isolation and repression for its fascist supporters was very common, the regime back up film producers to use the great national symbols of old and resist using anti-Spanish symbols in a series of bulky over produced biopics, commemorating noble-minded Catholic heroines as in Juan de Ordua Locura de Amor (Love Crazy) (1950) and La Leona de Castilla (The Lioness of Castille) (1951), and Reina Santa (1947) a film about a virtuous Spanish princess who becomes the Queen of Portugal directed by Rafael Gil. Along with these theatrical and historical films, we also see a pie-eyed Catholicism and missionary colonial ism theme running through the cinema at this time, such as Misin blanca (1946) directed by Juan de Ordua, and then there were the prototypes for the sentimental, religious dramas of the early 1950s with films like Balarrasa (Reckless) (1951), A mans harrowing scram in war which turns him to God for salvation and he becomes a Priest) directed by Jos Antonio Nieves Conde.It is worth mentioning that the comparable Falangist director, Jos Antonio Nieves Conde, directed Surcos (Furrows) (1951), dealing with the fatal repercussions of going away the old country and implications of migrating to the city. This film seemed to symbolise the realist cinema which was more copulation to daily life in Spain and to the Spanish people, issues of lower orders, and presenting social problems that were altogether absent from Spanish cinema screens. Surcos was also the cause of strong disagreements amid Falangism and conventional Catholicism because in 1951 Jos Mara Garca Escudero who was the Gene ral Director of Cinema at the time, denied to give the national interest award to Juan de Orduas Alba de America (Dawn of America) (1951) as he preferred Surcos instead. As a consequence of this, Escudero had to leave his position as General Director of Cinema and Orduas historical epic was awarded instead. This was an indication of the regime position towards film makers who had the courage to defy the regime baring the less appealing, problematic side of social issues in Francos dictatorship. Realism had gradually returned into Spain through the weird example of Italian neo-realism and soviet cinema at the end the 1940s, it had sneaked into university film course of instructions. These types of films found great acceptance among some disenchant Falangist film makers in the new, official film school, which was created by the regime and founded in 1947.Originally, the regime permitted the establishment of the Instituto de Investigaciones y experiencias cinematogrficas (Institute fo r Film Research and Experiment) by means of forcing control on professional person access to the film industry. In 1962 its name was changed to Escuela Oficial de Cine (Official Film School) and represented its programme on the curriculum for the Italian Centro Sperimentale in Rome. The IIEC was known for its lack of good teaching standards, and poor resources. However, the IIEC acquired 109 students just in the prime(prenominal) year of its creative activity many of these pupils played important roles in the film industry movements in the 1950s and effects which were organized to manifest cultural and also political opponent to Francos regime.Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship Neo-Realism (1952-1961)Neo-Realist ideology started to be more limpid throughout the film industry in Spain almost immediately, not only in films by the young upcoming directors but also in those by followers of Franco such as Jos Antonio Nieves Conde, who with his disputable film Surcos, let Spania rds see some of the unpleasant aspects of urban life.Luis Garca Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem were two disillusioned Falangists who studied at IIEC, they some(prenominal) were very important individuals in the attempt to renew Spanish cinema. These two men worked together with their own production company called UNINCI and in 1951 made Esa Pareja Feliz (That Happy Couple) (1953). The story was based on dreams of the working class about the improvement of the economy with parodies of CIFESAs (Compaa industrial Film Espaol S.A.) epic cinema and also the escapism of romantic comedies from Hollywood. Berlanga and Bardem proceeded with the same satirical style in the prize Spanish parody Bienvenido Mister marshal (Welcome Mr. Marshall) (1953).This production had a very critical edge and for that reason it obtained a very positive international recognition. Nevertheless, it was publicly and officially disapproved in Spain. Although the critics of his movies were softened by the parod y and comic tone, Berlanga frequently had censorship and poor distribution issues. Juan Antonio Bardem was part of the illegal Communist Party and also one of the organizers of the Salamanca Film Conference in 1955. His career in the film industry in the 50s and 60s was interrupted with periods of imprisonment overdue to his political actions against the regime. Among his works were Cmicos (Actors) (1953) and Muerte de un ciclista (Death of a Cyclist) (1955) in which Bardem emphasises in a critical perception of the bourgeoisie in Spain and showed some short images of people living in extreme poverty in Spain, this film gave Bardem substantial international recognition (Winner of the 1955 FIPRESCI shekels at the Cannes Film Festival).The introduction of new ideas from international lands caused great firing and strong feelings of change among filmmakers and the general public alike. Public discussions were due for the depression time in Spains old University City Salamanca lead by Basilio market placen Patino and sponsored by the Universities film club, the starting line National cinematographic conversations called the attention of professionals in the Spanish film industry, scholars, critics and writers who were there to represent a vast run away of ideologies, these conversations took place betwixt 14th and 19th of May in 1955. There was an opened document declaring the meeting which was signed by directors such as Bardem, Patino, Muoz Suay, etc these recognised personalities of the film industry along with many others discussing a pattern of topics, for example the censorship criteria, film distribution, and protection quotas. They also mentioned that it was crucial to include a member of the film industry in the censorship police squad and wanted that point to be considered.The discussions in Salamanca caused a minimum reaction for which many of their supporters thought the duologue had been a failure. The fascist government competition said the talks were an opportunity given to the regime by a bourgeois organization to sharpen its manipulation by the use of censorship criteria. Conservatives said the talks were proof that communist were infiltrating some other people said that the discussions were clear evidence that the film industry in Spain was in its infancy, but for others of its history and maturity. Nevertheless it is important to say that the talks had helped the sentiency of Spanish cinema on a national level and due to some insecurity in the government eleven months after the Salamancan talks the general director of film and theatre was substituted by Jos Muoz Fontn (Whose career would later be destroyed by Buuels controversial Viridiana (1961)). The most obvious evidence of official reactions was that the film industry was in complete silence following the talks and the Franco Government quietly turned its back. Although censorship had caused an artistic void in Spain, the new emerging and inspiring ideas being introduced into Spain had created new blood with young home grown directors such as pioneers Luis Garcia Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem (Who both helped to create la esttica franquista, a film style which ironically defined Spanish film during Francos reign).Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship unused Spanish Cinema (1962-1968)Spain made its low attempt to be part of the European common market in 1962 the country wanted to prove that Spain was not the fascist, retrograde it used to be Spain was going through a new contour of liberalization. The moderate Garca Escudero who was disregard 10 years before for supporting the film Surcos was brought back to accompany the director of cinematographic and theatre position. Garcia participated in the discussions in Salamanca and was aware of the disappointment and frustrations of those people who were attempting to make films during the dictatorship of General Franco and therefore when the repression caused by the use of censor ship temporally squander the pressure on the film industry in 1962, Jos Mara Garca Escuderos started to revise the points discussed in Salamanca which after seven years had not been even considered.One of the hardest aims for Garca Escudero to achieve was to up go out the censorship system. In this attempt he was attacked by constant criticism, especially by members of the church and the right wing who accused him of being a repulsive testicle of a promoter. Forth revised codes were stipulated in 1963, which were strongly attacked with the only objective of bringing back many of the strictly controlled measures.Although several of the new film makers were clearly part of the opposition, the dictatorship found the way to silence their voices. Jos Garca Escudero did not find seemly political support to cause any serious alteration to the censorship system however, in 1962 he managed to create a new category for special interest films. This category was very significant for new pr ofessional film makers from The Escuela Oficial de Cinematografa (EOC), to work in a film industry in which they had never been allowed to be snarled in unless they were only apprentices.As a consequence of the special interest category a new genre in the film industry appeared. This new genre was films that showed the problems of Spain, especially with criticism towards the social situation of the country, for the first time realistic narratives of Spain were screened in cinemas along the country. This type of cinema was called by critic Juan Francisco de Lasa as New Spanish Cinema.The new cinema in Spain was known for its use of simile showing social criticism which was orotund in the 1950s especially by directors Luis Garca Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem who were well respected at the time and classed as the best of their era and genre. Nevertheless new directors focused more on the 1890s literary generation. Spanish writers like the likes of Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamu no and Po Baroja were attempting to find answers to national issues in its literary, historical and also geographical past, the new directors in the 1960s were more interested in analyzing and criticizing social traditions in Spain in an attempt to form an image of Spain in which the country is seen for what it really is, instead of for what it was in the past or people thought it would be in the future.Despite the special category which allowed new Spanish productions to work as films of special interest, young Spanish film makers were still being attacked by censorship, as seen in Miguel Picazos La tia Tula (1964), that had a cut of over four minutes and then there was the confiscation of certain scenes from Carlos Sauras Llanto por un bandido (1964) which were eventually destroyed by the censors. Manuel Summers Juguetes rotos (1964) recalls the heroics of a boxer, a bullfighter, and a soccer player, showing the direct contrast between the opportunities of youth and the seclusio n of advancing age still had its problems with the censors with the director receiving a long list of prohibited shots, including the following.A child beggingA group of girls in bikinisDialogue saying Cualquier Espaol puede ser torero (Any Spaniard can be a bullfighter)These frequent restrictions caused an vast frustration among many promising film makers. When the regime realised that the new Spanish cinema was being used in opposition, the government intentional a system which allowed control over film distribution, making sure that these films were seen only by a chosen few new Spanish films were screened exclusively in a system of art theatres for a very small educated audience.The arte y ensayo system started in January 1967 with the following restrictions380 theatres scarce in urban areas (cities of over 500,000 inhabitants)Cannot seat more than 500 (By law)The distributors at first thought it was great to be able to offer films shown for the first time in Spain but because the audiences were small, exhibitors advertised promising them fruto prohibido (films prohibited or criminalise elsewhere). While this was correct, most of the public had misinterpreted it and would come looking for lewd material. Most anteriorly censored films were not necessarily sexually explicit, censored more for political or social reasons such as Jean-Godards A bout de souffl (1960), Luis Buuels Exterminating Angel (1962) and Ingmar Bergmans Persona (1966). The public became totally disillusioned and because of the years of censorship was completely unprepared for the new developments in films. By 1972 the art theatre ceased because it proved to an unsuccessful experiment. The special theatres were created not so oftentimes for the benefit of the Spanish film industry but so that foreign tourists in Spain could see movies in their native language. The New Spanish Cinema was being exhibited mostly in the art theatres but after a mere five years, Spains New Cinema did not h ave an audience in its own country and they were all abolished. The whole movement had attracted postal code but problems from the start due to the total lack of film culture in Spain. Directors of New Spanish Cinema created films which felt out of date to the foreign audiences. Basilio Martn Patinos Nueve cartes a Berta (1966) was entered into Cannes by Jos Mara Garca Escudero but straight away rejected Patinos honest and unsophisticated film felt dated to an international audience with their advanced correspondence of cinema. To be fair to Garca Escudero he had accomplished a jalopy between 1962 and 1966, over forty new directors had made their first film. This wasnt enough for him to keep his position of director general of Cinematografia y Teatro, and he was dismissed for the second time in his career. There were two reasons given, the first was economic the second was for The Primeras Jornadas Internacionales de Escuelas de Cinematografa (First International Film Schools Dis cussions) and his lack of control over a new and important presence in the Spanish film world, a group of students and young directors who were presided over by the respected film critic Ramn Gubern and in part by directorJoaquim Jord who is quoted sayingToday is impossible to speak freely of reality in Spain, so we are trying to describe its imaginary life*This group organized the only public discussion of film in Spain for the stand up twelve years. These discussions were held between 1st and 6th of October 1967 in the Catalan border town of Sitges. Attended by students, critics and young filmmakers, the Sitges conclave provided a rummy space for anti-Franco protesters, revolutionaries and supporters of experimental film. The Catalonian film director, Jord presented a manifesto for the Barcelona School that became widely known as the Sitges Manifesto. This manifesto provided a clear focus for debates on questions of film principles and political ideals, as well as new ideas f or production and exhibition of work outside Francos restrictive regime. Jords drafted the manifesto with a Marxist tone and could not be further from the New Spanish Cinema if it tried, with demands to end all censorship and state subsidies of any kind. Furthermore it called for the replacement of the Sindicato Nacional de Espectculo (State Entertainment Union) which would be able to supervise the production, distribution and exhibition of film. The Sitges manifesto rejected any possibility of working with the system and would only agree to a film industry totally independent of the state. By the time the Franco regime noticed what was going on in Sitges the conference was coming to a close. Nevertheless police interrupted the end of the event and arrested participants. Jord sought refuge in Rome and classes were briefly suspended at the National Film School. Garca Escudero was finally dismissed in November 1967. After the regimes reaction to the conference in Sitges, the Spanish f ilm directors union (Agrupacin Sindical de Directores-Realizadores Espaoles de Cinematografa (ASDREC)) was planning to continue the debates at their own convention, scheduled on the 23rd of November in 1969. A group of professional directors proposed that they carry out a study of the main problems of Spanish film and publish the conclusions. somewhat of these findings, including eliminating film censorship, had been taken from Sitges. Officially the ASDREC convention was prohibited due to its controversial tone, but this didnt stop them. After many preliminary talks between directors discussing the topics most relevant to the industry, the main meeting was eventually held in process 1970.* Higginbotham, V. (1988). Spanish Film Under Franco. Texas University of Texas Press. p66Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship The ex of Francos death (1969-1975)With the demise of Garca Escudero and the New Spanish Cinema and the insulation of School of Barcelona with its avant garde views, Spanish movie screens were full of foreign Spy movies and spaghetti westerns. The decade of Francos death (November 20th 1975) had started badly for Spanish film, with huge debts for the industry and the best of its new films were hardly shown on Spanish cinemas screens. 20 percent of world cinema had been banned in Spain since the Civil War and by the seventies it had risen to over 50 percent of films made abroad that couldnt be seen on Spanish screens. If most of the worlds greatest films couldnt be seen in Spain, at least it wasnt being so strong on letting them be filmed there, even if it brought controversy. One of the most important (and controversial) events for Spanish film during the later years of Francos reign was Buuel being granted permission to film Tristana (1970) in 1969. Tristana, definitely one of Buuels finest, is a great example of wherefore his films, although banned and not well known to the Spanish people, were considered by Spanish Directors in the know as National treasures. In total contrast to most of the Spanish films made during the dictatorship, Buuels vision of Spain seemed and felt more authentic. With the use of real people where possible as in Viridiana (1961) where he selected a group of beggars straight from the streets of Toledo and Madrid, and then there is the title character from Nazarin (1959) who is a typical anarchistic Spanish clergyman (many were murdered on the suspiciousness of being Communist sympathizers during the Civil War). Buuels return to Spain was also the start of a new era in Spanish film, in the next five years leading up to Francos death there were some great films to come out of Spain. Carlos Saura (after Buuel is Spains most important director during the post-war era) managed to create some great films even though his films were criticized by both right and left wing equally. He had the power to irritate and inherited Buuels ability to cause trouble and whose films also managed to disturb the une asy calm of the Franco camp. Films included Los golfos (1959), Ana y los lobos (1972), La prima Angelica (1973) and Cria cuervos (1975) the title in Spanish stems from the say Raise ravens and theyll pluck out your eyes and the equivalent phrase in English would be you reap what you sow. Filmed the year before Francos death, it makes clear how the regime, through an out of date religious education, making certain that the young do not grow into cuervos (ravens) and rebel the fascist myth.Last but definitely not least is the most highly acclaimed film in the history of Spanish cinema, El espritu de la colmena (Spirit of the Beehive) (1973) one of the most beautiful and poetic films ever filmed, a film which has been haunting audiences both Spanish and abroad since it first premiered in Madrid in October 1973. A young Victor Erice (he was 33 years old when he directed his master piece, 3 years younger than Orson Welles when he directed Citizen Kane (1941)) was in search of new myths and turned to classic horror films for enthusiasm and he found Frankensteins monster to represent Spain and its problems. After seeing crowd together Whales Frankenstein (1931) for the first time, seven year old Ana becomes fascinated with the monster, she becomes obsessed with finding him, and transfers this onto a wounded army deserter, who she is convinced is the monster. As a parable for Spain, the monster is a ghoulish collage of a man, a ludicrous figure constructed by the sinister creator, Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Even the Doctors name sounds very much like Franco. With its reference to the myth of Frankenstein, Erice found an uncanny metaphor for Francos Spain. The monster was reborn and had no memory like a new born baby, he has no moral sense and so can behave kindly, then kill (by accident or otherwise). Frankensteins monster being a literary myth himself suitably represents the final result of the so called Franco myth.Chapter ThreeSpanish Cinema back to DemocracyGene ral Franco died on the 20th November 1975, and with his death died 46 years repression, a new phase of history was about to be born in Spain. It was the time for liberty which would give strength and new backbone to the Spanish cinema. It was as if Spain finally had democracy, liberalism, explicitness and experimentation all at once. Directors were now creating without the pressure of all those previous prohibitions. Franco before he died had designated as his successor Juan Carlos of Bourbon, who was the grandson of the last king of Spain. For the first time in over 40 years, a free choice took place on June 15, 1977 and