The family as an institution that is accountable for raising responsible and mature adults who become representatives of their societies is a key principle of social organisation (Bernardes 1997: 2, Hill 1998: 63). For children, familial life is the very first experience of social relations, through which they become part of a larger community. The intertwining of the levels of human aggregation can be studied ‘as the complex mechanisms around which the history of a nation is constructed’ (Ginsborg 2003: xiii). Thus, analysing the state of the family is an effective vehicle for tracing social and cultural conflicts within a nation. In respect thereof, this essay is aimed to explore the metaphoric effect of the families displayed in Amelio’s Il ladro di Bambini and Saura’s Cría Cuervos.
This essay attempts to analyse how the families displayed in Ladro and Cría can be used to explore the state of the Italian and Spanish nation. Thus, in the second chapter the family shall be looked at as the base of social aggregation in the sense of Aristotle and de Bonald. Moreover, in chapter three the emphasis lies on the different generations in the two films that represent the countries’ cultural, social and political changes. In chapter four, the contrast between old and modern that results from these changes will be looked at in more detail. Furthermore, chapter five will pursue the afore-mentioned issues with the focus on the dysfunctional family as a social and political metaphor. Lastly, chapter six shall conclude the essay with a retrospective analysis.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 An Uncertain Future
3 The Change of Values
4 Old Versus New
5 Dysfunctional Family as an Allegory to the State
6 Conclusion
7 Filmography
8 Bibliography
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
The primary research objective of this paper is to examine the metaphorical function of the family unit within Italian and Spanish cinema, specifically through the analysis of Gianni Amelio’s "Il ladro di bambini" and Carlos Saura’s "Cría cuervos". By investigating how these films portray fractured family structures, the study seeks to trace larger social and political conflicts, mirroring the national identities and historical anxieties of Italy during the 1990s and Spain during and after the Franco regime.
- The role of the family as an institution of social and national aggregation.
- The impact of generational shifts and the tension between traditional and modern values.
- The cinematic representation of dysfunctional families as political allegories for state failure.
- The influence of political censorship and neorealist tradition on directorial narrative approaches.
- The use of music, space, and lighting as narrative tools to convey socio-political critique.
Excerpt from the Book
1 Introduction
The family as an institution that is accountable for raising responsible and mature adults who become representatives of their societies is a key principle of social organisation (Bernardes 1997: 2, Hill 1998: 63). For children, familial life is the very first experience of social relations, through which they become part of a larger community. The intertwining of the levels of human aggregation can be studied ‘as the complex mechanisms around which the history of a nation is constructed’ (Ginsborg 2003: xiii). Thus, analysing the state of the family is an effective vehicle for tracing social and cultural conflicts within a nation. In respect thereof, this essay is aimed to explore the metaphoric effect of the families displayed in Amelio’s Il ladro di Bambini and Saura’s Cría Cuervos.
Amelio, on the one hand, seizes on the cinematic tradition of neorealism by setting his story amongst the disadvantaged members of Italian society (Baldassare 1999: 7-10). With a documentary impulse, he offers a sight at modern-day conflicts in Italy (Millicent 1999: 59). Following the neorealist tradition, Ladro shows a dysfunctional family that mirrors the harsh reality of the modern Italian nation with her weaknesses and shortcomings. Saura, on the other hand, due to the limitations of censorship, faced more difficulties in making a film that follows a critical neorealist approach like many European directors did at that time (Toribio 2003: 2, Delgado 1999: 38). However, inspired by the European Auteurist cinema, he was induced by his will to respond to the Franco dictatorship through his films (D’Lugo 1991: 8). Saura manages to put across his political opinion by applying alternative ways of expression and diverges from a social realist approach to circumvent censorship (Bentley 2008: 214). Therefore, Cría harbours psychoanalytic approaches, relying on motifs such as memory (Hopewell 1986: 135). Saura allegorically accuses political regulations of the Franco regime and indicts the oppression of that time (Toribio, 2003: 29).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter establishes the theoretical premise that the family serves as a foundational institution for social and national identity, introducing the comparative analysis of "Il ladro di bambini" and "Cría cuervos".
2 An Uncertain Future: This section explores how the destruction of the family unit in both films mirrors the sociopolitical anxieties and historical instabilities present in 1990s Italy and post-Franco Spain.
3 The Change of Values: This chapter analyzes how generational shifts and the influence of mass media and pop culture reflect the broader movement from traditional, rigid social values to a modern, often alienating, societal structure.
4 Old Versus New: This part examines the contrast between traditional and modern settings, using domestic spaces as visual evidence of the tension between past ideologies and the demands of a changing economic landscape.
5 Dysfunctional Family as an Allegory to the State: This chapter argues that the fractured families in both films serve as explicit political allegories, indicting the moral failures and oppressive structures of the respective nations.
6 Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, concluding that both films utilize the dysfunctional family as a vehicle to critique national identity and the breakdown of established societal norms.
Keywords
Family, Allegory, Italian Cinema, Spanish Cinema, Neorealism, Franco Regime, Social Aggregation, Dysfunction, National Identity, Modernity, Generational Change, Political Critique, Censorship, Cinematic Tradition, Cultural Conflict
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
The work focuses on analyzing how the representation of the family unit in the films "Il ladro di bambini" and "Cría cuervos" serves as a metaphorical allegory for the social and political state of Italy and Spain during their respective historical contexts.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in the text?
The primary themes include the link between family structure and national stability, the generational clash between tradition and modernity, the impact of political regimes on social life, and the cinematic manifestation of these tensions.
What is the main research question?
The research asks how the families portrayed in the selected films function as mirrors or allegories for the socio-political challenges, systemic failures, and evolving identities of the Italian and Spanish nations.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper employs a comparative film analysis, drawing upon historical context, sociopolitical theory, and established film criticism to examine the narrative, technical, and thematic elements of the two works.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body investigates the erosion of the family, the generational divide, the transition from traditional to modern societal values, and the use of the family unit as an indictment of bureaucratic and political institutional failure.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Family, Allegory, National Identity, Neorealism, Franco Regime, and Generational Change.
How does Amelio use music in "Il ladro di bambini"?
Amelio uses music to highlight generational and social changes; the prominence of 1990s pop music serves to illustrate how mass media replaces traditional family communication, though non-diegetic music is used sparingly to signify rare moments of freedom.
In what way does Saura critique the Franco regime through his characters?
Saura uses the female characters and the internal structure of the home to symbolize the victims of the Franco regime's patriarchal and military-dominated society, suggesting that the "children of Franco" are emotionally stunted by the burden of the past.
What does the "bright kitchen" symbolize in "Cría cuervos"?
The kitchen is identified as the only bright room in the household, representing the space of Rosa, the only character who is portrayed as genuinely honest, thereby implicitly criticizing the deceptive or oppressive nature of the rest of the household environment.
- Quote paper
- Robert Stolt (Author), 2010, Family as Allegory in Italian and Spanish Cinema, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/151744
