This post provides some background information for the film La reina de España (The Queen of Spain). This is not a review of the film.
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| Penélope Cruz in 1998 and 2016 |
The Queen of Spain (2016) is the sequel of The Girl of your dreams (1998).
BACKGROUND
In 1998 Fernando Trueba's film "La niña de tus ojos" (the girl of my dreams) won several Goya awards in Spain, including for best picture and best actress.
The plot is about a Spanish cinema crew who went to nazi Germany in 1938 to make a film.
The reason for going to Germany was this: during the three years of the Civil war in Spain (1936-1939) most Spanish intellectuals & artists remained loyal to the elected government of the Republic. It was very difficult for the military insurgents to have access to any cinema studio. Franco, who had just formed his first fascist government in 1938, was very keen in making movies that would promote his ideological crusade: "Una, grande y libre" ('One, Big and Free') (Motherland).
So, he made an agreement with Hitler or, rather, with his minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, to have access to the prestigious UFA studios in Berlin for the purpose of making a movie; in exchange, it was agreed, there would be 2 versions of the film made: one in Spanish and another in German.
The reason for going to Germany was this: during the three years of the Civil war in Spain (1936-1939) most Spanish intellectuals & artists remained loyal to the elected government of the Republic. It was very difficult for the military insurgents to have access to any cinema studio. Franco, who had just formed his first fascist government in 1938, was very keen in making movies that would promote his ideological crusade: "Una, grande y libre" ('One, Big and Free') (Motherland).
So, he made an agreement with Hitler or, rather, with his minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, to have access to the prestigious UFA studios in Berlin for the purpose of making a movie; in exchange, it was agreed, there would be 2 versions of the film made: one in Spanish and another in German.
The crew who went to Germany was made up of poor and desperate actors, technical people and a director who, wishing to escape the miseries of the Civil
war, were happy to participate in the filming of a trashy Andalusian
drama. They did not ask any questions, neither in Germany nor in Spain, and they looked to the other side when necessary. Survival was the name of the game.
Macarena Granada (played by Penelope Cruz) was a young actress and singer who would be in the leading role playing famous Carmen of Triana while his father was in one of Franco's prisons.
The plot was very simple and the humour originated from the misunderstandings between the Germans and the Spaniards. They had a different mentality and a different approach to life. There was also the story of Goebbel's infatuation with Macarena and his attempts to seduce her.
The plot was very simple and the humour originated from the misunderstandings between the Germans and the Spaniards. They had a different mentality and a different approach to life. There was also the story of Goebbel's infatuation with Macarena and his attempts to seduce her.
VIDEO. Scene: A Taberna in Seville where Carmen sings a popular traditional Spanish copla: Los piconeros.
The first video is the Spanish version of Los piconeros and below is the German version.
In this scene, Goebbels is dancing with Macarena with an interpreter present. Goebbels wants Macarena to leave the hotel where she is staying with the others and move into a house provided by him. Macarena looks very uncomfortable and does not know what to do.
The character of Macarena was freely based in an
Argentinian singer and actress known as Imperio Argentina. She
was very popular in Spain at the time and did actually went to Germany in 1938
to film Nights in Andalucia where
she also played the famous Carmen of Triana.
Then, almost 20 years went past and ...
... director Fernando Trueba thought that he had enough
material to film the continuation of the story with the same characters of the
original film and so, he made ...
The Queen of Spain (plot)
Macarena is now a famous actress. She left Spain for Argentina and from there she made it to Hollywood where she lives. She has the chance of
returning to her home country to play Queen Isabella of Castile in a big Hollywood production. When she arrives in Spain she meets the former crew who went to Germany with her 18
years ago.
SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE FILM
WHO WAS Isabella of Castile?
Queen Isabella was the Queen of Castile and
married King Ferdinand of the King of Aragon on 19 October
1469. With this wedding the two biggest kingdoms in Spain became unified.
In 1478, they established the Spanish Inquisition the
same institution that was active in Europe a few centuries ago (click
here). In 1492, they conquered the last Moorish Kingdom
of Granada and they also expelled the Jews by means of the Edicto of
Granada; it was the friar Tomas de Torquemada, head
of the Spanish Inquisition, who convinced the Queen to take this action. Queen
Isabella was reluctant to do it, knowing the important contribution of
Jews in the country and in her own government. Queen Isabella financed the
plans of Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, who presented his plans to
the Queen after being rejected by the Portuguese. In 1492 Columbus arrived in
the New World.
Franco's relationship with the US
The United States entered into a trade and military
alliance with Spain as part of its policy of containment. This historic
alliance commenced with the signing of the Pact of Madrid in 1953. Spain was
then admitted to the United Nations in 1955. American poet James Wright wrote
of Eisenhower's visit: "Franco stands in a shining circle of
police. / His arms open in welcome. / He promises all dark things will be
hunted down." (...)
Later on, in another visit, American
President Richard Nixon toasted Franco,[ and, after Franco's death, he
stated: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United
States".
HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTIONS SHOT IN SPAIN
The Americans shot some epic-scale super
productions or blockbusters in Spain, produced either by Samuel Bronston, King
of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at
Peking (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Circus
World (1964)), or by others (Alexander the Great (1956), The
Pride and the Passion (1957), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Lawrence
of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The
Trojan Women (1971)). These movies employed many Spanish technical
professionals, and as a by-product caused that some film stars, like Ava Gardner
and Orson Welles lived in Spain for years. Actually, Orson Welles, with Mr.
Arkadin (1955), in fact a French-Spanish-Swiss co-production, was one of the
first American
"La
reina de España" is a "UNA ESPAÑOLADA"
What's that?
An "españolada" is a pejorative term to describe a film which
shows a cliched and a stereotypical image of Spain and particularly of its
people.
In the 'españoladas' the protagonist’s characters are
exaggerated, men are too masculine and women too very feminine but not always
in a good way. The stories are full of passion, people speak in loud
voices and the stories have a moralistic end. It was a black and white vision
of the world; "good" won over "evil" even when it did not;
the subliminal message was that if justice was not done on earth, it would in
Heaven.
Españoladas were common and popular during the Franco years. He was not a cultured
man but was very intuitive and very astute. He understood the value of cinema
in disseminating the fascist ideology so the "spirit of Spain" would
be a common feature in this type of films.
Franco often discredited Europe. He would repeat, again and again, that
Spain was the spiritual reserve of the Western World (España es la
reserva espiritual de Occidente).
After Franco's death the"Españoladas" slowly
evolved adapted to the changes that would gradually transform Spain into a
modern country.
Many Spaniards abhor of this type of movies, but this is not only a Spanish phenomenon. A film like Crocodrile Dundee, for example, makes many Australians cringe as they do not identify as the characters in the movie.
Finally, let me add that both films "La niña de tus ojos" and
"La reina de España" are Fernando Trueba's homage to the world of
cinema, and particularly to the people who work in cinema.
I hope you see the movie and you enjoy it.
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