Between tradition and subversion. Treatment of folklorised musical references in the early feature films of Pedro Almodóvar

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the unconventional and highly subversive treatment of musical material of folkloric origin in the films of Pedro Almod?var: Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del mont?n, 1980) and Labyrinth of Passion (Laberinto de pasiones, 1982). These films are representative examples of the director?s experimental artistic poetics based on the interweaving of local and global cultural features. The focus is, therefore, on the folkloric elements of the Spanish and Catalan musical tradition and their transformation and recontextualisation in relation to the socio-political reality of post-fascist Spain. Consequently, well-known theatrical musical pieces and dances such as the pasodoble, zarzuela and sardana acquire transgressive qualities through an unusual play with traditional and postmodern signifiers, aimed at overthrowing conservative patriarchal authority under the Francoist regime.