Dance as a Figurative and Semantic Embodiment of Existential Themes in the Films of Carlos Saura and Pedro Almodovar

Abstract

The article addresses the interaction between ballet (and more broadly — dance) and cinema, which so far has been little investigated in Russian interdisciplinary art studies. The material for the research has been defined as movies by two outstanding Spanish film directors, who are both part of the Spanish culture with its characteristic attitude to dance, and share the connection to the aesthetics of the Spanish Baroque.
The ballet trilogy by Carlos Saura (“Bodas de sangre”, “Carmen”, “El amor brujo”) reveals how the flamenco ballet contributes to the manifestation of national characteristics in classical Spanish narratives. The unique sound and plastic means of flamenco heighten the dramatic tension and expose the essence of the characters, which imparts greater authenticity in terms of the Spanish context.
Pedro Almodóvar's film “Hable con ella” presents both ballet art and its antipode, contemporary dance. The film is taken as an example to demonstrate, among other things, the functional use of “ballet fragments” (taken from Pina Bausch’s productions). They add depth and additional meaning to the story, anticipate what is happening on the screen and create a unique, poignant visual plastic image.
The author comes to the conclusion that the conventions of musical and dance dramaturgy and the unique plastic means of flamenco in the movies of Carlos Saura as well as the use of the symbolic language of contemporary dance by Almodovar facilitated the free expression of the director's original intentions and increased the emotional impact on the viewer's imagination. Moreover, both filmmakers use dance as a unifying element, holding the plot structure together with the “bodily strength” of the dancers, taking the “linear dimension” of the narrative film to a poetic level. In addition, surprisingly for both directors, the dance became the starting point, a kind of impulse, a trigger, in relation to the creative act of moviemaking.