Irony, Parody and Reception in Spanish cinema under Franco: From 'Esa pareja feliz' (Luis García Berlanga, 1951) to 'Furia Española' (Francesc Betriu, 1974)

Abstract

This article analyses irony and parody as strategies of an elusive cinematic discourse in the context of the repression of freedom of expression resulting from censorship in Francoist Spain. A wide and diverse corpus of films is examined in the interests of offering a more representative study than would be achieved with the analysis of a few specific cases, and also to show how the use of both strategies has evolved over time. Special focus is given to the basic conditions for the reception of these strategies, such as the existence of shared spaces between filmmakers and audiences, the need for the spectator to constitute an implicit author who can be attributed with a certain intentionality and, in relation to this, the presence of a series of markers in the texts that elicit an ironic interpretation or facilitate the recognition of parodied texts. The practice of irony and parody fosters the development of a community of receivers capable of interpreting them, and this community grew considerably in the final years of Franco’s regime. Moreover, such use of irony and parody is never limited to a mere textual stunt, as in many cases the strategies are used for satirical purposes.