[Nursing in the movies: its image during the Spanish Civil War].

Siles González J, García Hernández E, Cibanal Juan L, Gallardo Frías Y, Lillo Crespo M

Departamento de Enfermería de la Universidad de Alicante.

Rev Enferm. 1998 Dec;21(244):24-31.

INTRODUCTION

The cinema had carried out a determining role in the development of stereotypes and in a wide gamut of models related to real life situations. The objective of this analysis is to determine the influence cinema had on the image of nurses during the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939. These are the initial hypotheses: the role of Spanish nurses during the civil war was reflected by both sides in their respective movie productions; and the image of nurses shown in these films, on both sides, presents a conflicting role concept for women in society.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Following strategies developed by specialists in film analysis (Bondwell 1995, Uneso 1995, Carmona 1991) a total of 453 movie productions, 360 on the republican side and 93 on the national side, were reviewed. These films were listed in the Spanish National Films Library records.

RESULTS

After analyzing the Spanish cinema productions during the Spanish Civil War, data relating to 453 films were identified. The genre included documents, news programs and fiction movies. 77 were produced in 1936, 235 in 1937, 102 in 1938 and 39 in 1939. A tremendous difference exists between the republican productions, 79% of the total, and the national productions. By genres, the types produced on the republican side were: in 1936, 53 documentals, 4 news programs and 9 fiction films; in 1937, 186 documentals, 5 news programs and 19 fiction films; in 1938, 72 documentals, 1 news programs and 2 fiction films; in 1939, 2 documentals and 2 fiction films. On the national side, their productions were: in 1936, 10 documentals and 1 fiction film; in 1937, 22 documentals, 2 news programs and 1 fiction film; in 1938, 19 documentals and 3 news programs; in 1939, 29 documentals and 6 fiction films.

CONCLUSIONS

During the Spanish Civil War, movies produced by both sides made an effort to reflect their ideal woman as a stereotypical ideal nurse. This ideal nurse showed the values, ideas, aesthetics and prejudices each side held in the war.