All About Almodovar: A Passion for Cinema (review)

Someone once said that it is better to be praised than punished, and to be punished rather than ignored. If this statement is true, then the many essays written about the work of contemporary independent filmmaker Pedro Almodovar are evidence that though he is variously praised and punished by those whose opinions appear in popular culture, his work is certainly not ignored. Such is the case in All about Almodovar: a Passion for Cinema, a recently released anthology edited by Brad Epps, Professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Harvard University, and Despina Kakoudaki, Assistant Professor of Literature and Film at American University. This striking collection of in-depth essays should be in the library of every serious film student and professor, as it contains valuable information about cinematic technique, artistic vision, and the cinematic preoccupations of filmmakers which bridge and interconnect the silos of individual artists.

This anthology, like some others, is thematic, but the quality of the essays and the breadth of their scope are unusually good. Those new to Almodovar's work will learn quite a bit about how his films differ from the formulaic Hollywood offerings while perusing Epps' and Kakuoudaki's carefully crafted introduction, in which the editors note Almodovar's use of "offbeat characters, kitschy interiors, sexually aggressive themes, labyrinthine plots, and mixing of cinematic genres." This eclectic collection of essays examines Almodovar's work from a variety of perspectives, resulting in a synthesized, multi-faceted view of his personage and artistic style, which serves to heighten the interest of both film aficionado and lay reader and lure each into a closer examination of the text.

The reader is jump-started by Paul Julian Smith's "Almodovar on Television: Industry and Thematics," a clearly articulated essay commenting on the recurring theme of television, an almost universal element in Almodovar's films and a source of funding for many of his projects. Andy Medhurst's "Heart of Farce: Almodovar's Comic Complexities" argues that Almodovar's use of comedy is 'critical to a fuller, more complex understanding of his films," adding the suggestion that, in general, "comedy courts the vulgar [while] art cinema yearns for the refined."

It is this type of distinction through which Medhurst attempts to differentiate works aimed at the general public from those that target a more narrowly specified and, in this case, esoteric audience. Mark Allinson, author of "Mimesis and Diegesis: Almodovar and the Limits of Melodrama" examines Almodovar's consistent propensity to borrow from other genre films, specifically melodrama and tragedy which is readily evident, writes Allinson, in the artist's film All about My Mother. This screenplay revolves around an extremely complex plot, visiting such diverse themes as AIDS, existentialism, and faith, with a pinch of transvestitism thrown in for good measure. Here, Almodovar borrows, in part, from the plot of one of his earlier films, (The Flower of My Secret, 1995) which received 7 nominations for a Goya Award in 1996.

Of special interest is Almodovar's "Volver: A Filmmaker's Diary" which, appropriately enough, precedes the filmography section at the end of the book. Volver, considered by many to be Almodovar's best film to date, is all about death and the complexity of family dynamics. In this journal style, stream of consciousness piece, Almodovar walks the reader through his genre preferences, discusses his favorite films from other genres, references personal conversations with curiosity seekers and celebrity hangers-on, and relates details that form the back-story of how Volver came to life. In this section of the book, the reader learns that Almodovar is a rather private individual, often preferring solitude to the company of others. Of shooting the film in his hometown of La Mancha, Almodovar writes, "my existence in Volver is very poor in anecdotes not related to the shooting. I don't watch TV. I do listen to music during the long trips to the set. I don't see anyone; I don't go...