Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

(Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios)

Add to my list

by Peter William Evans

Type: Studies
Subject: One Film > Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Keywords: Pedro Almodóvar
Publishing date: 2021
Publisher: BFI Publishing
Collection: BFI Film Classics
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 80 pages
5 ½ x 7 ½ inches (14 x 19 cm)

ISBN

978-1-83902-252-4

User Ratings

(0 vote)

Average rating:

0	rating	= We can do without
0	rating	= Good book
0	rating	= Excellent book
0	rating	= Unique / a reference

Your rating: -

Report incorrect or incomplete information

Book Presentation:
Pedro Almodóvar'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 Almodóvar'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 Almodóvar's subsequent films, and the impact of Carmen Maura's performance as Pepa on the representation of women in Spanish cinema.

See the publisher website: BFI Publishing

Previous edition