Barcelona y/en el cine: un recorrido histórico
Barcelona and/in Cinema: A Historical Survey

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with different aspects of Barcelona’s relationship with cinema. The first part, following the thread of the fi lm Vida en sombras (1949) by Catalan director Llorenç Llobet Gràcia, highlights Barcelona’s guiding role in the development of cinema and its technological advances, and the importance of the city as a centre of production, distribution and exhibition of films. The second part focuses on Barcelona as a fi lm set. By adopting the perspective of the cinematic urban archaeology, it analyses through a selection of films the transformations experienced by the Catalan capital from the end of the 19th century to the present day. Th e selected films constitute a privileged observatory for studying the metamorphosis of Barcelona’s urban landscape and the most significant political, social and economic changes undergone by the city over time: the striking urban and industrial development between the 19th and 20th centuries, the Spanish Civil War and the harsh post-war years, the economic boom and the uncontrolled urban growth under the regime of Francoist mayor José María de Porcioles (1957-1973), the restoration of democracy and, finally, the urban renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s, boosted by the city’s nomination to host the 1992 Olympics.

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