Framing Emotions: White Romance and Colonial Melodramas During Francoism

Abstract

Abstract This article examines two lesser-known colonial melodramas released during the Francoist period, Obsesión (1947) by Arturo Ruiz Castillo and Piedra de toque (1964) by Julio Buchs. Melodrama is not a genre prominently associated with colonial cinema, but it was the most popular style within the Spanish cinematographic production on Equatorial Guinea. In this article I explore why directors privileged this genre in representing the Spanish colony, and I examine how the white love triangle served disparate purposes in these films, from conveying subversive meanings to reinforcing normative ideologies.