Law of desire PDF
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J o Law of Desire, the 1987 homoerotic melodrama s é by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain’s most successful Q LAW OF DESIRE contemporary fi lm director, is a grand tale of u i love, lust, and amnesia. It features three main r o characters: a gay fi lm director (played by Eusebio g a Poncela); his sister, an actress who was once his José Quiroga brother (Carmen Maura); and a repressed, obsessive stalker (a young Antonio Banderas). In the twenty- plus years since its fi rst release, Law of Desire has been acknowledged as redefi ning the way in which cinema can portray the diffi cult affective relationships between homosexuality, gender, and sex. Taking his cue from the golden age of Latin L A American, American, and European melodrama, W Almodóvar created a sentimental yet hard-edged O fi lm that believes in the utopian possibilities for new F relationships that redeem people from their despair. D Since its release, Almodóvar has become an Oscar- E S winning fi lmmaker who regularly delves into issues I R of sexuality, gender, and identity. E JOSÉ QUIROGA’s book examines the political and social context in which Almodóvar created Law of Desire, as well as its impact on his later work. ARSENAL PULP PRESS arsenalpulp.com Entertainment (Film) / Gay & Lesbian ISBN 978-1-55152-262-3 $15.95 Canada / $14.95 US A QUEER FILM CLASSIC law of desire arsenal Pulp Press | Vancouver law of desire a Queer film ClassiC José Quiroga LAW OF DESIRE: A Queer Film Classic Copyright © 2009 by José Quiroga All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any part or used by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may use a brief excerpt in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a license from Access Copyright. ARSENAL PULP PRESS 341 Water Street, Suite 200 Vancouver, BC V6B 1B8 Canada arsenalpulp.com Queer Film Classics series editors: Matthew Hays and Thomas Waugh Cover and text design by Shyla Seller Edited for the press by Susan Safyan All film stills (except where indicated) © Cinevista Printed and bound in Canada CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA Quiroga, José, 1959- Law of desire / José Quiroga. (Queer film classics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-55152-262-3 1. Law of desire (Motion picture). I. Title. II. Series: Queer film classics PN1997.2.L38Q84 2009 791.43’72 C2009-905376-4 ISBN, digital edition: 978-1-55152-350-7 SW-COC-001271 CONTENTS 7 | Acknowledgments 9 | Synopsis 11 | Credits 12 | Introduction: Queer Melodrama 22 | One: The Summer Begins 89 | Two: Art, Murder, and Loss 118 | Three: Amnesia and Desire 149 | References 151 | Index Acknowledgments Thanks to Michael Moon, who first came up with the idea that I could do something like this. Kudos to graduate stu- dents in my melodrama course at Emory for their intellec- tual curiosity and also for their patience. Gonzalo Aguilar and Alejandra Laera in Buenos Aires provided a copy of the film when I really needed it: thanks! Thomas Waugh and Matthew Hays have been great, supportive readers and edi- tors. And Susan Safyan and Shyla Seller at Arsenal Pulp are simply extraordinary. My circle of friends and buddies know who they are, and know how grateful I am for their support and for all the good things they bring to my life. I thank my family every day for being there, all the time. Joseph and I shared this film, way back, and he’s part of its soundtrack. This book is dedicated to Gerardo, because it is. He knows movies like no one else I know. 7 SyNOPSIS Pablo Quintero is a successful gay film and theater director who has just completed a movie. At the opening night party, he discusses with his lover, Juan, their summer plans: Pablo will stay in Madrid working on a new project, while his lover will go south to work and be with his family. Pablo loves Juan, but Juan is not in love with Pablo. Pablo’s sister, Tina, is hounded by the press, while Antonio Benítez seems to be following Pablo’s every move. Tina has been left in charge of Ada, the daughter of the woman who has abandoned her for a man, and Pablo offers Tina the lead role in his next play. At the play’s opening night, Pablo meets Antonio and takes him to his house. Antonio is in love with Pablo, and he wants to “fix” his life. Antonio is also going south for the summer to live with his conservative family. Pablo is not in love with him, though he agrees to write him letters using a woman’s name. As the summer progresses, Antonio becomes upset at Pablo’s lackluster letters. In a fit of jealousy, Antonio goes to the town where Juan lives and, late in the evening, kills him by throwing him off a cliff. When Pablo arrives the next day, he finds Juan dead. He goes to Antonio’s house, con- fronts him, and then leaves. Driving back to Madrid, Pablo crashes his car and is taken to the hospital, where he suf- fers from amnesia. Tina comes to visit him, tells him she has found a new man, and reveals their common past: she used 9
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