Spanish biographical cinema (1900-1939): causes of its production and the work of the film press

Abstract

This article analyses Spanish film magazines and statements by intellectuals between 1900 and 1939, focusing the analysis on biographical cinema. This interest in biographical cinema is endorsed by its link to the political-cultural context, marked by regenerationism, the search for national identity and the gradual assumption of cinema as a pedagogical tool. Thus, the sources consulted reveal a growing demand for this type of film, of which less than twenty were made between the appearance of the cinematograph and Franco's regime. On the other hand, by analysing the films that were released, we also obtain the keys to the way in which a biographical film was conceived at that time, as well as understanding the reasons for the generalised dissatisfaction of the specialised critics. The unavoidable comparison with foreign cinematographies and the pressure to present the history of Spain in an honourable way weighed down the biographical cinema of the time.