The Crisis of Sound Cinema and the Film Industry During the Second Republic
Exploring the use of cinema as propaganda during the Spanish Civil War and the impact of censorship on the film industry in the early Franco regime.
From 1936 onward, both factions in Spain began utilizing film as a propaganda tool. The Francoist side established the National Cinematography Department to control and promote its narrative. Following the conclusion of the Civil War, many cinema professionals were forced into exile.
Under the new regime, strict censorship was enforced, mandating that all films released in the country be dubbed into Spanish. Notable directors from this era include Ignacio F. Iquino, known for El difunto es un vivo (1941), Rafael Gil with Huella de luz (1941), Juan de Orduña who directed Locura de amor (1948), and José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, who created Raza (1942) with a script by Franco himself. Edgar Neville also made significant contributions with La torre de los siete jorobados (1944), and Manuel Mur Oti's Fedra (1956) is another noteworthy film.
CIFESA emerged as the most profitable production company of the time, creating feature films inspired by significant historical events and figures, which gained both governmental approval and public support.
The 1950s saw the birth of two major film festivals in Spain: the San Sebastián Film Festival, inaugurated on September 21, 1953, which has continued without interruption, and the first International Film Week of Valladolid, known as Seminci, held in 1956.
