La "niña bonita". Imágenes de la violencia (y no violencia) de la Segunda República española en el cine

Abstract

The history of the Second Spanish Republic has been marked by myth, deceit, prejudices and representations which have conformed part of its memory. This article intends to dive in and analyse, from visual sources, the collective imaginary which cinema has built out of it. It is, of course, not monolithic but, rather, it has evolved at the same time that changes in Spanish society have been displayed; from the revilement of the period during Franco´s regime, to a process of idealisation which has germinated during democracy. However, we are going to stress, mostly, the correlation which has been given of the Republic with the political or anticlerical violence that, despite the contributions of historiography, has in great length determined its negative image, more influenced by the discussions about the causes and origins of the Spanish Civil War and the effects of repression than by a properly weighed up look of the period.