To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Peter William Evans
SeriesBFI Film Classics
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:80
Category/GenreFilm theory and criticism
ISBN/Barcode 9781839022524
ClassificationsDewey:791.4372
Audience
General
Edition 2nd edition
Illustrations 60 colour illus

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint BFI Publishing
Publication Date 6 May 2021
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Pedro Almodovar's 1988 black comedy-melodrama Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown established its director as one of the most exciting of European film-making talents. An often hilarious study of sexual mores, Women on the Verge has a central character, Pepa (Carmen Maura), as warm and richly drawn as any modern film heroine. Made strong and self-reliant by suffering in a troubled relationship, Pepa is the centre of a network of lovers, friends and family who represent a vivid cross-section of Spanish society. Peter William Evans provides a formidable analysis of Almodovar's insights into gender, sexuality and identity. Evans sees Women on the Verge as concerned with the often tyrannical spell of sexual desire and the anxieties of relationships and families, but also with the possibilities for personal liberation. He discusses the film in the context of the history of Spain and the social revolution that occurred after the death of Franco. In his foreword to this new edition, Evans reflects upon Women on the Verge in the light of Almodovar's subsequent films, and the impact of Carmen Maura's performance as Pepa on the representation of women in Spanish cinema.

Author Biography

Peter William Evans is Emeritus Professor of Film at Queen Mary University of London, UK. He is the author of Written on the Wind (2013), also in the BFI Film Classics series.