The cinematic zarzuela: cross-media connections between theatre and film in Spain (1900–1963)

• Autores: Peter W. Schulze
• Localización: The Routledge Handbook to Spanish Film Music / Laura Miranda González (ed. lit.), 2024, ISBN 9781003174974, págs. 35-44
• Idioma: español
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • When cinema emerged in the late 19th century, the zarzuela, combining spoken and sung scenes, was the most popular Spanish theatrical genre. Especially the zarzuela subgenre called género chico (literally, “little genre”), characterized by its brevity and lightness, was frequently adapted in early Spanish film productions. The zarzuela continued to be an important cinematographic genre for decades. This article elaborates on the cross-media connections of the zarzuela, taking into account both film adaptations of the género chico as well as the role of cinema for the theatrical genre, such as film screenings at zarzuela theatres and the integration of films into plays, as in the case of El amigo del alma (The friend of the soul, Antonio G. Escobar) from 1905. Due to their paradigmatic significance for the cinematic zarzuela, three films will be analysed in more detail, all of them eponymous adaptations of La verbena de la Paloma: José Buchs's 1921 film, which established the zarzuela feature film and boosted the incipient Spanish film industry; Benito Perojo's 1935 “superproduction,” a peak of the zarzuela film; and José Luis Sáenz de Heredia's 1963 adaptation, a swan song of the genre.