As with Italian neorealism and the French nouvelle vague, Spanish cinema developed distinctive style and content from the 1930s to the 1970s. However, Spanish film evolved largely without reference to its international counterparts, isolated as it was by the repressions and censorship of Franco's regime. Through a series of close readings of films made in the Republican period, under Franco, in transition, and more recently under socialism, these contributors seek to present a clearer picture of Spanish national cinema.