Intellect

Authors:  Marit Knollmueller 
DOI: 10.1386/seci.6.2-3.203/1

Keywords
Amenábar, surrealism, oneirism, Spanish literature, Cervantes, Calderón de la Barca

Abstract
This article challenges the prevalent perception of Amenábar's films as popular entertainment more indebted to Hollywood than to Spanish cultural traditions. Through a case study of Abre los ojos (1997) it demonstrates that the film manifests oneirism in a manner consistent with the long-standing traditions employed by dominant figures of Spanish literature and drama (e.g. Cervantes, Calderón de la Barca, Valle-Inclàn). The aesthetics Amenábar employs to represent dreams can also be read as a development from the Spanish surrealist aesthetics of Luís Buñuel and Salvador Dalí and stand in contrast to conventional modes established in Hollywood.