Francisco Franco is usually described as a fascist, implying all the usual things that the word implies–suppression of political rivals, rubberstamp legislature, a tamed court, and far-reaching press censorship.
But the NPR announcers are describing a current film as “set in the last days of Franco’s Puritanical regime.” Which leads me to ask, in what way was this true? Are there any good places to read about this on the INternet?
I don’t know the answer to that question, but I am reliably informed that Generalissimo Franscisco Franco is still dead.
If,among other things, the term puritanical implies that morality was strict, that a woman could walk at any time of day or night in any city in spain without fear of molestation, that the young were subject to strong family curfew, that public display of affection was strongly limited----
Then Yes ---------Franco Spain WAS puritanical.
And,for a gringo, it was a wonderful place to relax in.
Loved it!
EZ
My mother grew up under Franco (Spanish Morocco). The times we’ve watched the Hollywood movies of her youth she’s remarked on the difference between the versions they were shown back then, and the uncensored originals.
Bearing in mind of course that Hollywood movies in the nineteen-fifties were not that racy in the first place, but evidently Franco’s censors saw fit to supress some elements, lest they corrupt the citizenry!
One example - A Place in the Sun: the pregnancy-out-of-wedlock storyline was not present in the version screened in her home town. Anyone who remembers the movie (with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift) will know just how pivotal that was to the plot.
The fascinating thing about Spain and the Spaniards is how swiftly and effectively they managed to put that all behind them.
>a wonderful place to relax in
Guernica?
Pointing out Guernica as a suggestion that Tapas on the Jos’ Antonio aren’t enjoyable is like saying that a beer in berlin tastes like gall.
It’s like saying deep dish apple pie in Gettysburg is revoltimg because Pickett lost so many men there.
I found Spain to be a place of AMBIANCE and GRACIA----------
and if I weren’t a handicapped octogenarian I’d go back in a breathe!
[But I’d take a moment to wipe a tear at the sight of a McDonalds in Madrid!]
EZ
Is it possible you misheard and they actually said tyrannical?
the Catholic church had a great influence on standards of morality and indecency in public life. It was closely identified with the regime, not least because Franco was their only friend during the Civil War
Many films were banned in Spain until after Franco’s death, usually for sexually suggestive content or blasphemy. I understand Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” was held to be particularly filthy.
Franco had been dead for over a couple of years by the time Life of Brian came out.
My husband lived in Spain (Barcelona, to be precise) during Franco’s regime. Things were very puritanical indeed. My husband has a 45rpm record of Don McLean’s “American Pie” which he bought in Barcelona in the early '70s. The song is quite normal up to the point where the lyrics say “The three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, they caught the last train for the coast.” That entire passage is replaced by a long, steady beeeeeeeep tone. Ay, ay, ay. The lyrics were considered blasphemous, so they were zapped by the censors.
Yep, between the fascism itself on the one hand (never big fans of people just enjoying themselves) and the official status of a quite orthodox even for the times wing of Catholicism, the effect was quite “puritanical”.
Which made the post-Franco “destape” quite a fascinating thing to observe.
Truth be told, Spain before Franco was already . . . well, I don’t want to say Puritanical, since I associate that term with the Reformation and anti-Catholicism. Spain had always been very, very Catholic.
And Hitler is usually described as a nazi…
Franco was a fascist.
For a given value of puritanical - yes.
It’s not uncommon for political power to team up with religion to strengthen the grip on the public, especially since religion on the run can hold a pretty powerful influence over the public. So Francokept close to the Catholic Church and used it for his own puposes. In exchange, the church, of course, gained a lot of clout.
But the society per se wasn’t puritanical. It was oppressed. Public demonstration of piety was one part that kept Guardia Civil out of your life. On the surface, it worked. In reality, it didn’t. Supposedly crime rates were low. Well, that’s because GC shot criminals, without ever letting the crime or criminal be known, and since crimes were never reported, the official crime rates were indeed low. Everyone had a job, but that’s because most jobs were really stupid, created just so Jose Publico had a place to go in the (late) morning. The economy was constantly sliding backwards.
I don’t know about a site online, but anyone interested in the post WWII history of Spain should read: The Spaniards: A Portrait of the New Spain by John Hooper.
You’re right! The film came out in '79 it appears. I can recall reading an interview years ago with one of the Pythons (don’t remember which) in which he recalls the film being censored in “Franco’s Spain,” but he either got the chronology (or the film!) wrong or meant “Spain under the continued influence of Franco.”
I tried a quick intenet search for more info but came up empty.