Desire Unlimited: The Cinema of Pedro Almodovar, 3rd Edition

In the last decade, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar has grown from critical darling of the film circuit scene to mainstream success. Frequently comic, often deadly serious, always visually glorious, his recent films range from the Academy Award–winning drama __Talk to Her__ to the 2011 horror film __The Skin I Live In__. Though they are ambitious and varied in style, each is a distinctive innovation on the themes that have defined his work. __Desire Unlimited__ is the classic film-by-film assessment of Almodóvar’s oeuvre, now updated to include his most recent work. Still the only study of its kind in English, it vigorously confirms its original argument that beneath Almodóvar's genius for comedy and visual pleasure lies a filmmaker whose work deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness.__From the Hardcover edition.__ Preface to Third Edition -- Introduction: El Deseo, S.A. (Desire Ltd) -- -- 1 Pepi, Luci, Bom, y otras chicas del monton (Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap, 1980): Rhetoric and Reference -- -- 2 Laberinto de pasiones (Labyrinth of Passion, 1982): Cult Film Experiences -- -- 3 Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits, 1983): Out of the Convent -- -- 4 Que he hecho yo para merecer esto? (What Have I Done to Deserve This?, 1984): Gender, Space, Representation -- -- 5 Matador (1986): Power, Pleasure, and the Frenzy of the Visible -- -- 6 La ley del deseo (The Law of Desire, 1987): A Talent for Production -- -- 7 Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988): Femininity by Design -- -- 8 Atame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, 1990): Not a Love Story? -- -- 9 Tacones lejanos (High Heels, 1991): Imitations of Life -- Conclusion: Screen Memories -- -- 10 Kika (1993): Future Chic -- -- 11 La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret, 1995): An Interview with Pedro Almodovar -- -- 12 Carne tremula (Live Flesh, 1997): Absolute Precision -- -- 13 Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother, 1999): Silicone and Sentiment -- -- 14 Hable con ella (Talk to Her, 2002): Only Connect -- -- 15 La mala educación (Bad Education, 2004): All I Desire -- -- 16 Volver (2006): Women, Windmills, and Wedge Heels -- -- 17 Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces, 2009): Airless Love -- -- 18 La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In, 2011): Stitches in Time. Content: Preface to Third Edition -- Introduction: El Deseo, S.A. (Desire Ltd) -- 1Pepi, Luci, Bom, y otras chicas del monton (Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap, 1980): Rhetoric and Reference -- 2Laberinto de pasiones (Labyrinth of Passion, 1982): Cult Film Experiences -- 3Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits, 1983): Out of the Convent -- 4Que he hecho yo para merecer esto? (What Have I Done to Deserve This?, 1984): Gender, Space, Representation -- 5Matador (1986): Power, Pleasure, and the Frenzy of the Visible -- 6La ley del deseo (The Law of Desire, 1987): A Talent for Production -- 7Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988): Femininity by Design -- 8Atame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, 1990): Not a Love Story? -- 9Tacones lejanos (High Heels, 1991): Imitations of Life -- Conclusion: Screen Memories -- 10Kika (1993): Future Chic -- 11La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret, 1995): An Interview with Pedro Almodovar -- 12Carne tremula (Live Flesh, 1997): Absolute Precision -- 13Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother, 1999): Silicone and Sentiment -- 14Hable con ella (Talk to Her, 2002): Only Connect -- 15La mala educación (Bad Education, 2004): All I Desire -- 16Volver (2006): Women, Windmills, and Wedge Heels -- 17Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces, 2009): Airless Love -- 18La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In, 2011): Stitches in Time. New edition of this film-by-film assessment of the cinema of Pedro Almodovar. In the last decade, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodvar has grown from critical darling of the film circuit scene to mainstream success. Frequently comic, often deadly serious, always visually glorious, his recent films range from the Academy Award-winning drama Talk to Her to the 2011 horror film The Skin I Live In. Though they are ambitious and varied in style, each is a distinctive innovation on the themes that have defined his work. Desire Unlimited is the classic film-by-film assessment of Almodvar's oeuvre, now updated to include his most recent work. Still the only study of its kind in English, it vigorously confirms its original argument that beneath Almodvar's genius for comedy and visual pleasure lies a filmmaker whose work deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness In the last decade, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar has grown from critical darling of the film circuit scene to mainstream success. Frequently comic, often deadly serious, always visually glorious, his recent films range from the Academy Award--winning drama Talk to Her to the 2011 horror film The Skin I Live In . Though they are ambitious and varied in style, each is a distinctive innovation on the themes that have defined his work. Desire Unlimited is the classic film-by-film assessment of Almodóvar's oeuvre, now updated to include his most recent work. Still the only study of its kind in English, it vigorously confirms its original argument that beneath Almodóvar's genius for comedy and visual pleasure lies a filmmaker whose work deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness. From the Hardcover edition. "In the last decade, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar has grown from critical darling of the film circuit scene to mainstream success. Frequently comic, often deadly serious, always visually glorious, his recent films range from the Academy Award-winning drama Talk to Her to the 2011 horror film The Skin I Live In. Though they are ambitious and varied in style, each is a distinctive innovation on the themes that have defined his work. Desire Unlimited is the classic film-by-film assessment of Almodóvar's oeuvre, now updated to include his most recent work. Still the only study of its kind in English, it vigorously confirms its original argument that beneath Almodóvar's genius for comedy and visual pleasure lies a filmmaker whose work deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness"--Page 4 of cover In the last decade, Spanish film auteur Pedro Almod�var has grown from critical darling of the film circuit scene to mainstream success. Frequently comic, often deadly serious, always visually glorious, his recent films range from the Oscar award-winning drama Talk to Her to the 2011 horror film The Skin I Live In . Though they are ambitious and varied, each is a distinctive innovation on the themes that have defined his work. Desire Unlimited is the classic film-by-film assessment of Almod�var's oeuvre, now updated to include his most recent work. Still the only study of its kind in English, it vigorously confirms its original argument, that beneath Almodovar's genius for comedy and visual pleasure lies a filmmaker whose work deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness. This text examines the work of Pedro Almodovar, the Spanish director whose nine features to date include the comedy, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), the S & M melodrama, Tie me up! Tie me down! (1990) and the family romance, High Heels (1991). This study argues not only that Almodovar is a highly skilled manipulator of cinematic form, but also that his films raise important questions'of gender, nationality and sexuality'which demand a serious response from their audience. Desire Unlimited offers analyses derived from recent feminist, gay and postmodern theory "A thoroughly stimulating approach to an inventive, sophisticated filmmaker." - Independent