Content area

Abstract

The main film adaptations of the literary production of the American playwright Tennessee Williams premiered in 1950 through 1968, and they settled in the melodrama. These films contributed to the thematic evolution of Hollywood due to the gradual dissolution of the Hays Code of censorship and, furthermore, they determined the path of this genre toward more passionate and sordid aspects. Thus, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, or Suddenly, Last Summer incorporated sexual or psychological issues through tormented characters that had not been previously dealt with in the cinema. The classic Hollywood melodrama has had a remarkable influence in the filmography of Pedro Almodóvar, and the best evidence is the tendency of the director from La Mancha to deal with this genre in his complex plots. In addition, the tormented characters starring in them contain many personal, family or sexual traits which are very present in the main characters of the southern playwright. From these considerations, this paper aims to reflect on the presence of the melodramatic traits of the adaptations of Williams in Almodóvar by analyzing, as a person and as a role, the main characters of his three films belonging to this genre: The Law of Desire, High Heels y The Flower of My Secret.

Details

1009240
Identifier / keyword
Title
LOS RASGOS MELODRAMÁTICOS DE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS EN PEDRO ALMODÓVAR: ESTUDIO DE PERSONAJES DE LA LEY DEL DESEO, TACONES LEJANOS Y LA FLOR DE MI SECRETO
Publication title
Volume
20
Issue
138
Pages
97-119A
Number of pages
47
Publication year
2017
Publication date
Mar 2017
Section
INVESTIGACIÓN
Publisher
Revista Vivat Academia
Place of publication
Madrid
Country of publication
Spain
Publication subject
e-ISSN
15752844
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English, Spanish
Document type
Feature
Document feature
Tables; References
ProQuest document ID
1880713370
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/los-rasgos-melodramáticos-de-tennessee-williams/docview/1880713370/se-2?accountid=208611
Copyright
Copyright Revista Vivat Academia Mar 2017
Last updated
2025-06-18
Database
ProQuest One Academic