Directed by: PedroAlmovador

Certificate: 15

Running time: 117minsRelease date: 18March2011

Synopsis:Abrilliantplasticsurgeon,hauntedbypasttragedies,createsatypeofsyntheticskinthatwithstandsanykindofdamage.Hisguineapig:amysteriousandvolatilewomanwhoholdsthekeytohisobsession.(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189073/)

These Study Notes are suitable for students of Media and Film Studies & related subjects at GCSE, AS/A2 or equivalent.

The Skin I Live InStudy Notes

©Tw

entiethCenturyFox/Pathé

1

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

Before Viewing:Spanish Cinema after Franco

Spanish cinema flourished after the demise of the country’s long-reigning dictatorFranciscoFrancoin1975.Beforethisturnofevents,censorshipandoppressionwererifeundertheFrancoregimeandfilmschoolswereclosed,stiflingcreativity.Filmmakersoftenhadtohidetheirpoliticalexpressionandangerdeepwithinthemeaningoftheirfilms.Butinthelate1970s,PedroAlmodóvarwaspartoftherapidlyemergingSpanishfilmandculturerenaissance(laMovida)whichcelebratedandexploreddiversity,counter-cultureattitudesandnew-foundfreedoms.

z InvestigatetheimpactFrancohaduponfilmproduction,exhibitionandexportinSpain.HowcouldyoucharacteriseSpanishcinemaduringhisforty-yearreign?z Howwould you categorise the themes and style of Almodóvar’swork at thisearlystage?Accordingtoyourresearch,whatwashebestknownfor?

YoucanfindoutmoreaboutAlmodóvarandlaMovidainSightandSound(July2011,volume21,issue7)

Almodóvar as AuteurAlmodóvar’sfilmsarelinkedbythemesthatarebothpersonalanduniversal.DoyouseeanyofthefollowinghallmarksinThe Skin I Live In?Ifnot,whichofthedirector’spreviousfilmsdofeaturesuchthemes?

-family-gender(strongwomenandweakmen)-sexuality-matriarchs-nationalityandidentity-gayandtransgenderissues-recurringactors/actressessuchasAntonioBanderasandPenélopeCruz

YoucanfindmaterialsontwootherAlmodóvarfilmsonFilmEducation’swebsite:

BrokenEmbraceshttp://www.filmeducation.org/brokenembraces

Volverwww.filmeducation.org/pdf/film/Volver.pdf

2

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

3

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

New TerritoryDirectinga thriller is unusual territory forAlmodóvarwho iswidely recognised for hisfamilydramas.TakealookatthefollowingreportfromTheIndependent…

Almodóvar , 61…said he was ready for a new genre after melodramas such as ‘Broken Embraces’ starring his frequent muse Penélope Cruz. “I’m currently in a thriller time of my life,” he said. “But in a thriller you can touch on all kinds of other genres. I don’t think you have to stick rigidly to the rules of a genre. But thrillers are indeed my favourite kind of film right now and I’ll probably make more.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/Almodóvar-revenge-thriller-a-hit-at-cannes-2286773.html

z InwhatwaysdoesThe Skin I Live Inconformtoorsubvertthrillerconventions?z AlmodóvarhasnevermadeafilmforHollywood,butdoeshisnewthrillerrecallanyHollywoodmovies?z Whatothergenreelementsarepresent?z Inthiseraof‘TorturePorn’andExtremeCinema,howdoesThe Skin I Live Incompareintermsofintensityandaesthetics?z Lookatthetrailerandpromotionalmaterialsforthefilm.Doesittargetmainstreamorart-houseaudiencesorboth?WhatUSPisemphasisedinthetrailer?

FrankensteinThestoryofThe Skin I Live In instantly recallsFrankenstein,butcriticshavespottedthematicsimilaritiestootherfilmsaswell.

z What visual motifs, props and characters are there in the film that allude toFrankenstein?Arethesemotifssubvertedinanyway?z WhymightcriticshavecommentedthatThe Skin I Live InisthematicallysimilartobothEyes Without a Face(GeorgesFranju,1960)andDarkman(SamRaimi,1990)?z Doesthefilmcommentonsociety’sfixationonappearanceandbeauty?Ifso,whatdoyoufeelisitsmessage?

ActivityPickyourfavouritedirectororauteurandtheneither:-CreateatrailerforanewFrankensteinfilm‘directed’bythemintheirstyle.Willyoudrawattentiontothedirector’sinvolvement?Whowillyoucast?

or

-Createatrailerforanewfilmbythisdirectorinagenrethattheyhaveneverattempted

Written by Gareth C Evans