Spanish film in Argentina: the export of ruralist nationalism

Abstract

The first Francoism created a film policy based on autarky, that is, on strict control of foreign trade for both economic and ideological reasons. It was necessary to control the balance of payments and the ideology of foreign governments. This is how, after the Second World War, Argentina became the main partner of the regime. Above all because the importation of cereals is vital to alleviate hunger. Moreover, to solidify these relationships, a cultural exchange is encouraged in which the cinema plays an important role. Specifically, the purpose of these pages is to study the commercial, artistic, moral, and critical impact of the Spanish rural drama exported by Spain to Argentina in the period from 1944 to 1947. It is intended to show that this cinema served to disseminate the national ruralist ideology among Argentines and, above all, among the colony of Spanish emigrants, many of them from the countryside.