Praise of Spanish fantastic cinema and Franco censorship!

Blaise Pascal had these words: “There are only two kinds of men: some just. Meanwhile, who believe they are sinners; The other sinners, who believe they are right. Furthermore, »» This maxim opens the credits ofA candle for the devilfrom Eugenio Martín. Similarly, Spanish film released in 1973 and now benefiting from a superb reissue in Blu-ray. Moreover, And as it is the party, everything is coupled with another jewel of Iberian horror, Blood doll (1977), by Carlos Puerto.

France may be the cinephile nation par excellence. Meanwhile, the popular cinema of the Franco era has rarely had the honors of the Gazettes. However, Admittedly. Furthermore, courageous independent publishers – Carlotta, in this case, but also Artus Films – persist in exhuming the nuggets of the genre. However, SO, quid of this Devil candle ? Nevertheless, Two single sisters, obviously frustrated on the sentimental praise spanish fantastic cinema franco side, hold a family pension. Similarly, We are in full vacation and tourism is in full swing, with its share of embarrassed girls. However, Then. Furthermore, the stupid accident, the surprise client sunbathing on the establishment’s terrace, fired by the staircase, which slides and kills: the tragic accident. Meanwhile, What to do with corpse? Furthermore, Conceal it, of course, and tell the police nothing. For example, Then the fatal gear. Nevertheless, The friends of the deceased who come to search for him. that we must make disappear, just to maintain the honor of this house so well kept. Hence the words of Pascal highlighted.

The two sisters who believe themselves “Just”. become “Sinks”while accusing imaginary sins; Even if, for one of them, they are just nothing imaginary.

An authentically Christian film? – Praise spanish fantastic cinema franco

The fact that this remarkable film. shot by master by the excellent Eugenio Martín, was shot in a praise spanish fantastic cinema franco Spain led by Francisco Franco, while the censorship was most veillant, can be perplexed for those looking at things from afar. Indeed. this film is eminently Christian in the sense that it denounces those who intend to judge in the place of God, not even giving their victim the mercy that believers are entitled to expect from the Almighty. In short, to continue to paraphrase Blaise Pascal, “Who wants to make the angel makes the beast …” Certainly, there are brief nudity scenes here; But the latter were reserved for international broadcasting. The church knew it well, but let it go.

At the time. this censorship was summed up in the marotters of the clerics of time: no nudity, feminine as male, and out of the question of showing adultery in a favorable light. Note that with the Hays code in the USA. Lady Anastasia was just as manic in praise spanish fantastic cinema franco the matter, hence these spouses then sleeping in twin beds; This is hardly practical for a possible carnal rapprochement, unless you do your little business on the carpet and between two plumards.

The Rolling Stones and Clericale Censorship…

For the rest, the priests were hardly looking at. The proof is the famous album, Sticky FingersRolling Stones, published in 1971. The original cover. signed Andy Warhol, consists of a tight plan on a crotch covered with jeans, but which suggests a male member in a triumphant position. For the Spanish church, it is we can. But it does not oppose the output of the disc, as long as the cover is changed. Result ? Three fingers obviously cut by a pruning sheer, visible in the foreground, and leaving a canned box filled with blood. THE sticky fingers (“Sticky fingers”) are just as much, but without the slightest sexual connotation. Good taste praise spanish fantastic cinema franco has surely won nothing about it; But the honor was except.

This censorship was therefore perfectly bypass. the galloping filmmakers of the time did not deprive them, so it was easy to fond of censors all with their Puritan obsessions. In his memoirs. director Jesús Franco, used to dealing with the drawbacks of his time, would rather tend to put into perspective “hell” Franco, explaining that the prohibitions were so basic that it was easy to get around them. Paradoxically, he was long helped in his career by one of the laying of the local film industry. Which, phalangist, therefore a socialist with a fascinating tendency, rather encouraged him to shake up religious taboos. Like what…

A most accommodating Francoism…

On the other side of the political barrier. Jacinto Molina, better known by the pseudonym of Paul Naschy, was, he was a fervent support of the regime in place, even praise spanish fantastic cinema franco if claiming his friendship for Jesús Franco, estimating like him that this censorship was ultimately stimulating in creative terms. Besides. we will notice that the most interesting Spanish cinema – and sometimes the most transgressive – experienced its hour of glory under the reign of Caudillo. It was at this time that Luis Buñuel, playing permanently with this censorship, knew his hour of glory. In 1976, a year after the death of the Spanish strong man, this filmmaker put an end to his career. Like what, in their own way, one obviously could not live without the other. In 1961. Franco allowed the shooting of Viridiana In Spain, while accepting that this film represents its country at the Cannes Film Festival, before then prohibiting its dissemination in the peninsula, following a very personal interpretation of the Last Supper caused a great scandal. Nevertheless, Franco respected the talent of Buñuel.

And praise spanish fantastic cinema franco after? Nothing, especially in transgressive matters. Popular cinema, the most gifted to play with censorship, has disappeared. Remains Pedro Almodóvar, bourgeois filmmaker par excellence; either cinema for Inrockuptibles et Telerama. And then. to think about it better, from one censorship to another, the one that is exercised in France on the artistic world is ultimately much more careful and, in the end, poisonous. His great trick, borrowed from the devil, consisting in making believe that she does not exist.

Definitely, there is no photo: censorship was better before!