Ritið : tímarit Hugvísindastofnunar - 01.05.2010, Page 119

119
rýna í spéspegil Almodóvars en umfram það geta verkin hugsanlega náð að
virkja þá til umhugsunar um söguna og samhengi sitt þannig að þeir vakni
til lífsins af sjálfstýrðum doða og geti orðið höfundar eigin sjálfsmyndar.
Verkin endurstæla og stuða til þess að afstaða sé tekin til þeirra og kennsl
séu borin á raunsæi í firru afkáralegs súrrealismans.
ABSTRACT
Pedro Almodóvar:
Radical pastiche or a sarcastic offense against a guileless audience?
The films of Pedro Almodóvar are vivacious, colorful and interlaced in a complex
narrative labyrinth. They explore and exhibit individualistic identities, sexualities,
passions and the oppressions of society. The auteur Almodóvar mixes genres with
pompous gusto and systematically violates the standards of conventional formulas.
An ideological criticism and black humor mark the films’ subjects while radical
pastiche determines the narrative structure and the visual style. The complete
works of Almodóvar are united by their unique aesthetics characterized by surreal-
ism, ceaseless recycling, Spanish camp and kitsch.
This article focuses on all these traits and expands the established discourse on
the auteur-concept. Almodóvar’s ouvre is analyzed in relation to the aesthetic and
political backdrop of the cultural-cradle in which it originated. The nationality
and residence of the auteur are of great importance because his ardent devotion to
draw on Spanish cultural heritage and history make his films stand out in today’s
world cinema. Almodóvar’s inspiration is though not confined to his nationality
and he splices together various threads from Western cultural history.
Almodóvar’s controversy stems partly from his methodology that is not unlike
the automatic writing of surrealists which often leaves the audience bewildered.
His films are rarely addressed solely in terms of aesthetics, artistic competence or
entertainment value, but also encourage volatile arguments about morality and
ideology. It is thus fair to say that Almodóvar is keenly apt in amalgamating the art
of radical pastiche and an offensive sarcasm.
Keywords: Pedro Almodóvar, world cinema, auteur-theory, surrealism, pastiche,
postmodernism, contemporary Spanish nationality
RÓTTÆK ENDURSTÆLING