Juan Antonio Bardem's 1955 pelicula spectacular, Muerte de un ciclista, is a golden example of mid- twentieth century Spanish cinema going against the Franco grain. Bardem endured multiple battles with Spanish censors, and as many know he had to completely alter the ending in order to release the film in Spain.
The corruption and lack of ethical and moral character of Spanish bourgeoisie is a main theme throughout. The two primary characters, Juan and Maria-Jose, refuse to deal with the moral consequences of hitting a cyclist and leaving him to die. In the beginning, both are too caught up in the selfishness of their own spoiled lives to be troubled by "the nuisance" of the cyclist's death. While Juan eventually has an epiphany that involves 'purifying' his corrupt ways by coming clean to the police, Maria-Jose is keen on keeping her wealthy and privileged position intact at all costs, even if it means murdering her long term lover, Juan.
Many viewers have commented Muerte de un ciclista's end was simply too compromised by Francoistic constraints put on Bardem (the 'bad' lady dies after she murders the 'good' man), but I feel he did extremely well considering the dictatorship surrounding him as he made the film. With regards to the ending, I think Bardem's angle was more subversive and future-thinking than merely 'righting a wrong' to pacify conservative falange-Catholic values. Notice the intertextual elements of Maria-Jose's extreme close up shots when she's hanging from her car. As Jo Evans noted in the article, "Sex and the censors: the femme fatale in Juan Antonio Bardem's Muerte de un ciclista", this cinematic moment "can be considered a reference to Mussolini's executed mistress Carla Petacci, hanging upside down in the Piazzale Loreto next to her lover, Franco's former ally."
Bardem could have shot Maria- Jose's body in a variety of creative death poses, but he chose this one in particular to include in the film. Thus Bardem shows in these final moments his wish for death to the corrupt bourgeoisie, and the possibility of death to Francoist Spain, Italy's one time fascist mistress.
The corruption and lack of ethical and moral character of Spanish bourgeoisie is a main theme throughout. The two primary characters, Juan and Maria-Jose, refuse to deal with the moral consequences of hitting a cyclist and leaving him to die. In the beginning, both are too caught up in the selfishness of their own spoiled lives to be troubled by "the nuisance" of the cyclist's death. While Juan eventually has an epiphany that involves 'purifying' his corrupt ways by coming clean to the police, Maria-Jose is keen on keeping her wealthy and privileged position intact at all costs, even if it means murdering her long term lover, Juan.
Many viewers have commented Muerte de un ciclista's end was simply too compromised by Francoistic constraints put on Bardem (the 'bad' lady dies after she murders the 'good' man), but I feel he did extremely well considering the dictatorship surrounding him as he made the film. With regards to the ending, I think Bardem's angle was more subversive and future-thinking than merely 'righting a wrong' to pacify conservative falange-Catholic values. Notice the intertextual elements of Maria-Jose's extreme close up shots when she's hanging from her car. As Jo Evans noted in the article, "Sex and the censors: the femme fatale in Juan Antonio Bardem's Muerte de un ciclista", this cinematic moment "can be considered a reference to Mussolini's executed mistress Carla Petacci, hanging upside down in the Piazzale Loreto next to her lover, Franco's former ally."
Bardem could have shot Maria- Jose's body in a variety of creative death poses, but he chose this one in particular to include in the film. Thus Bardem shows in these final moments his wish for death to the corrupt bourgeoisie, and the possibility of death to Francoist Spain, Italy's one time fascist mistress.