Españolada (loosely translated as "Typically Spanish") is a pejorative term used in Spain to broadly describe a film genre and certain pieces of art that exoticize and exaggerate things perceived as "Spanish" traits,[1] or fail to capture the true essence of Spain's cultures, since most clichés used in these works are southern. The earliest examples of Españolada date back to 1914 with paintings such as "Notas de color. Españolada" by Francisco Sancha, part of the Costumbrismo art movement. Meanwhile, the film genre of the same name was pioneered by the Francoist dictatorship during the 1930s to give foreigners a false image of Spain and encourage tourism through a romanticist view of the country. Certain stereotypes and archetypes popular in the films include bullfighters and tauromaquia, Flamenco dancers, iberian "machos", señoritas, passionate lovers, references to the Spanish Civil War or Francisco Franco's regime and a major focus on the region of Andalusia and its sunny landscapes.
The original film genre could be described as a form of propaganda used by the Francoist state to promote an idealistic view of Spain and distract the locals from the negative situation during the dictatorship, and it stayed relevant until the decade of the 60s, coinciding with the Spanish miracle, when the country's economy and tourism rapidly increased. However, the term Españolada continues to be used today to describe any works (such as songs or modern comedy movies) that exaggerate anything seen as "Spanish" to the extreme.[2]
History[]
This distorted view of Spain and its cultures likely arose in the 19th century, when Romanticism became one of the most prominent art movements throughout Europe and the so-called "Mito Español" (Spanish Myth) became a trendy topic among artists. It caused a new wave of writers from England and France visiting Spain for inspiration for their artworks. Some of these notable writers were Alexandre Dumas (author of The Three Musketeers) and his son, Théophile Gautier, Victor Hugo (author of Les Misérables) and Prosper Merimée. Although the country has a diverse amount of folklore and various regional cultures, those artists and writers mainly took inspiration from Andalusian folklore and its most popular staple, Flamenco. Other of their inspirations from southern Spain were the Caló people (the Roma community), bandits and petty thieves, bullfighters or tauromaquia, traditional dancers, and tonadilleras.[3] This is one of the most important reasons why the Españolada genre is criticized; it reduces the cultures and folklores of Spain to a single region.
Later, the term "Españolada" was more widely used during the 1920s, when a subgenre of comedy was developed by the Francoist faction. It was at its peak during the 30s, after the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish media became heavily censored by Francisco Franco's dictatorship, and such movies belonging to the Españolada genre aligned with the fascists' values. Franco's government also wanted to promote this false image in the rest of Europe. For instance, some participants in the Eurovision song contest were forced to dye their hair black just to look more "exotic." Some of the most infamous films from this era include El turismo es un gran invento, Amor a la española, 40 grados a la sombra or Vente a Alemania, Pepe. Other influential actors were Paco Martínez Soria, Antonio Ozores, Alfredo Landa and José Luis López Vázquez. Nowadays, this genre is often interpreted as a tool of propaganda that the former Spanish state used to distract citizens from the negative aspects of the dictatorship through an idealized lens. Sometimes it's also seen as a way to promote cultural assimiliation within the country, since Spain has multiple regions that have distinct languages and cultures. As the Francoist state sought to suppress them from mainstream media, it's only logical that they decided to only represent the culture of regions that were predominantly Spanish-speaking at the time, notably Andalusia or the regions of Castile to a lesser extent.
Modern Use[]
Nowadays Españolada carries less of its original romanticist or political connotations, but it continues to be used pejoratively to describe movies, TV series and songs that exaggerate clichés associated with Spain, as defined by the official dictionary of the RAE (Spanish Royal Academy).
A lot of modern Spanish comedy movies continue to fall under this genre, most notably the Spanish Affair film series (also known 8 Apellidos). The modern genre often exploits repetitive tropes. For instance, filmmaker Santiago Segura's movies are often criticized by younger generations because his films rely on overused and often mediocre plots. Some of these common tropes include families about to break up, annoying family members coming town, grandfathers who ironically feel "nostalgic" for Franco's regime, children being left alone and causing problems, and topics surrounding youth subcultures exclusive to Spain (such as canis or pijos). Also, another fad within modern Españolada films are promotional movie cover arts or posters that feature all of the actors (of which some might also be popular YouTubers, singers, or other celebrities) just to add more "hype" to the movies. This genre continues to be widely disliked in modern Spanish society, but somehow, they always manage to reach the lists of top most viewed films of the year.
Visuals[]
Visuals and common tropes used in vintage Españolada includes:
- The so-called "Spanish Myth", a distortion of Spanish culture created upon English and French writers' romantic interpretations of the country
- Humor relating to the costumbrismo movement among Spanish and Latin-American art
- Influence from the Spanish regions of Andalusia, and less commonly, Castile or Valencia
- Oranges, a fruit traditionally associated with Andalusia and Valencia
- Stereotypical portrayals of flamenco or Caló culture
- Bullfighters and tauromaquia
- Iberian "macho" men
- Petty thieves and bandits
- Passionate lovers and señoritas
- An idealized lens attempting to encourage nationalism (in Spain) or tourism (in Western Europe), mainly during the 1930s-1960s.
Overused tropes in modern movies include:
- Couples on the verge of breaking up
- Groups of children being left alone and causing trouble
- Annoying family members coming town
- Ironic references to Francisco Franco's regime
- References to the pijo and cani subcultures
- Film cover arts showcasing all of the actors, of which some might be internet celebrities.
Music[]
Songs[]
- Bailando por Ahi by Juan Magán
- Bamboleó by Gipsy Kings
- Hey, Pijo by Rap'in Madrid
- Mandanga Style by Amador Rivas
- La Ramona by Fernando Esteo
- Los Coches Chocones by Los Desgraciaus
- Por España by Samantha Hudson & Papa Topo (political satire)
- Soy Cani by Su_morenito_19 (Zorman)
- Soy Pijo by Javier Franco (Zorman)
- Torero by Chayanne
- Yo Soy Aquel Negrito (The old ColaCao Song)
Playlists[]
- Canciones para reirse by Álvaro
Media[]
Film[]
Romanticist, Francoist dictatorship and Post-Francoist era films:
- Amor a la Española (1967)
- Carmen, the girl from Triana / Carmen, la de Triana (1938)
- El turismo es un gran invento (1968)
- Forty Degrees in the Shade / 40 Grados a la Sombra (1967)
- Monera Clara (1936)
- Operación Secretaria (1966)
- Sangre y Arena (1916)
- The Devil Is a Woman / El Diablo Era Mujer (1935)
- The Heifer / La Vaquilla (1985)
- The National Shotgun / La Escopeta Nacional (1978)
- Vente a Alemania, Pepe (1971)
Modern Españolada films:
- The Kids Are Alright / A todo tren! Destino Asturias (2021)
- A todo tren 2: Sí, les ha pasado otra vez (2022)
- A Moroccan Affair / Ocho Apellidos Marroquís (2023)
- Father there is only one / Padre no hay más que uno (2019)
- Father there is only one 2 / Padre no hay más que uno 2 (2020)
- Father there is only one 3 / Padre no hay más que uno 3 (2021)
- Father there is only one 4 / Padre no hay más que uno 4 (2024)
- Heroes Wanted / Cuerpo de Élite (2016)
- Politicamente Incorrectos (2024)
- Snow White / Blancanieves (2012)
- So my Grandma's a Lesbian! / Salir del Ropero (2019)
- Spanish Affair / Ocho Apellidos Vascos (2014)
- Spanish Affair 2 / Ocho Apellidos Catalanes (2015)
- Summer Vacation / Vacaciones de verano (2023)
- Superlópez (2018)
- Under The Same Roof / Bajo el Mismo Techo (2019)
- Villaviciosa de al lado (2016)
Literature[]
- "El regreso a Triana" by Antonio de Hoyos y Vinent (1930)
Criticism[]
This genre of film and art, including both its historical and modern forms, are widely criticized in Spain for being an exoticization and misrepresentation of its own culture. For instance, Españolada movies often only focus on the culture of Andalusia or Castile, and since Spain is a regionally diverse country, it cannot accurately represent all of the country. Its origins rooted in fascism have made it controversial since its very existence, and many of these movies produced during the Francoist era are looked down upon as a form of propaganda or distracting citizens from the hardships of the regime.
Modern movies, while not holding the same right-wing political undertones of films produced during the 1960s, are still criticized for the same reason. Santiago Segura's movies have received a poor reception among Spanish people, especially among younger generations, since his works heavily rely on predictable and formulaic tropes.
"Españolada" as an adjective also continues to be used by regionalists and the Catalan, Basque, and Galician independence movements to pejoratively describe clichés associated with the modern Spanish right-wing. However, this page doesn't center around its current-day political implications.