Ay Carmela – online notes – general – Flashcards
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How do we see the contrast between the Republic side and National?
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on the Republic side there's a better atmosphere, they are more patriotic than anti-national. On the national side they're extremely anti-rojos/republic.
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A part from war, what does the production focus on?
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art, it's strongly focusing on theatre in times of war, and the fact that art is life - which certainly true for Carmela. She gives her life for justice but also her art, refusing to compromise.
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How does memory feature?
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Carmela's memory gradually comes back to her, so more and more of the war is revealed through Carmela's gradual memory.
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Why does Carmela come back?
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she comes back so the memory of her doesn't fade, she represents the truth and so she wishes for the truth of the war atrocities never to fade - almost like the ley de la memoria historica.
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What does Gustavete's voice at the end symbolize?
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points towards the upcoming 40 years of dictatorship but also gives hope, hope that although Carmela can not longer voice her opinion in death, Gustavete may be able to. Spain might one day have a voice again.
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What was Saura (film director)'s connection to Ay Carmela?
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Saura grew up in the times of the SCW, he remembers distinctly the horrors, the hunger, the death, the pain as well as the atmosphere and songs.
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Through showing theatre in the play what do Sanchis and Saura touch on?
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the fact that the governmental policy of censorship was culturally and artistically devastating. People had no freedom to represent the circumstances they faced as a nation.
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How can Ay Carmela, as a whole, be seen?
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as a balance between life and death, it shows the deliberate infliction of pain and suffering for the Spanish people.
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What does it pay homage to?
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artistic integrity and human dignity.
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What relevance does the title of the play itself hold?
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it all interlinks greatly, Carmela as a person is linked to the pro-republic song, which of course related to the play's title. The whole things, despite being about theatre during the war, is indeed more siding towards the Republic.
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How do we see Paulino's changing personality/flexibility?
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through the fact that he's willing to change his entire act, he changed to suit his audience and has little political loyalty or opinion.
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What does the piece El Cid touch on?
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not only the heroic Spanish national hero, but it relates to the Golden Age that Franco hoped to resurrect and maintain.
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What functions does the Republican flag have?
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it's due to the flag that they're captured, it's used during their Republican set to inspire a collective sense of community. It's burn to show disaster, death and disrespect. It's used a blanket, warmth, for Paulino when he's sleeping, it's also used to cover Carmela's naked body (maintain dignity), used as a aid to mock the international brigade men also.
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What does the use of performance as a form of entertainment during the play touch on?
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Franco's use of short films and musicals to distract people from the truth of the ongoing suffering within Spain - this was also a popular method for Hitler with his strong methods of propaganda.
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What did Saura say about Ay Carmela and what it was truly about?
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he said that it was more about the theatre and people during the SCW as opposed to the SCW itself. It shows the theatre facing death, one of his concerns, suggests theatre/art is life and without one the other fails. We are aware that Saura fought against the popular theatre of this time.
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What does Carmela say about the suppression of art?
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during her performance she says that she hopes they won't treat on her art with their heavy boots- touching on the suppression of art forms during Franco's reign.
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Why has Gustavete lost his voice?
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due to shock, the horrors of the SCW, he has been silenced like the majority of the population. He lost everything and was found by the travelling couple naked on the roadside, he also lost his memory.
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What does Gustavete's silence mean he's unable to do too easily?
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he's unable to deceive, he cannot lie about the horrors, nor can he hide behind a performance. He acts on a very human level like Carmela, seeing her a role model and mother figure.
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What does Gustavete's chalk board symbolize at the end?
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his silence being lay to rest.
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What does the death of Carmela/republic mark?
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the beginning of Franco's dictatorship.
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Land wise, what are the republic and national deemed?
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the republic can be called the 'motherlands' and the national the 'fatherlands', this strongly demonstrates the feel of patriarchy on the national side, also explaining why everyone feels more comfortable on the republic side. We also see the difference in audiences, women among the republic, only men on the national.
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What function does the brick wall have in the film version as a background to their performances?
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it alludes to one of the first scenes of firing squads, Carmela's shot on stage and so it's no more than another firing-squad incident for the majority of the room.
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What two stereotypes does Carmela fit with?
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she can be seen as motherly with her figure and her caring nature but on stage as a whore with her provocative dancing. They shout 'whore' and 'slut' at her before she's shot.
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What can Franco represent?
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Franco, at the time, was seen as god and a major father-figure that nobody would rebel against.
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What do the colours of the flowers on her grave show?
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they're red, a warm colour (also of the republic), also shows her as a powerful and dominant character.
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How many times does Carmela visit Paulino? What does this have connotations of?
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Carmela visits Paulino three times, three is a number strongly associated with bravery and heroic behaviour, putting Carmela in the same bracket.
