The bandit figure and the consolidation of a hispanic western in ‘Amanecer en puerta oscura’ (Forqué, 1957)

Abstract

This project is a scientific investigation focused on how the bandit figure is represented in post-francoism Spanish cinema and the francoist view on gypsy culture, which can be seen in Amanecer en Puerta Oscura (José María Forqué, 1957). As a critical-acclaimed historical movie, it shows a unique representation of the rural workers and the bandit’s archetypes, presenting a socially compromised cinema that predates the Spanish New Cinema movement. The way it uses the classical Hollywood cinema, along with the adaptation of the aesthetic and the structure of western cinema genre into the Spanish culture and history in order to create a Spanish western model and showing the interest of the Spanish filmmakers and, in consequence, developing new cinematography styles that could skip the censorship during the Spanish francoism regime.