Materialidad histórica como subversión en Aguaespejo granadino de José Val del Omar

This essay analyses the relation between Orientalist discourse and the representation of gypsies in José Val del Omar’s Water-Mirror of Granada (1953-1955). Although traditionally critics have linked this short film to the auteur’s spiritual longings, a close examination of the movie also reveals the existence of a more worldly director. To that end, the first part of this article is devoted to tracing the presence of an Orientalist and essentialist discourse in Val del Omar’s film. The second section presents the different cinematic techniques the director uses to force the film’s audience to question Granada’s Orientalist heritage. Finally, the conclusion reveals the intentional historical subtext that lies below the aesthetic surface with which Val del Omar made his social concerns explicit.