History as Ritual: Fernando Arrabal’s L’arbre de Guernica and the Panic Historical Film

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the present article, L’Arbre de Guernica (Fernando Arrabal, 1975) is analysed. The aim of this paper is to study the suitability of an experimental film as a representation of the past. In the first part, I analyse its aesthetics, following the research developed by authors such as González, Monreal or Sánchez, who have studied Arrabal’s Panic Theatre. The goal of this subchapter is to apply the traits of his theatre to his cinema – which has been scarcely studied—, in order to conclude whether his films can also be considered as part of his panic creations or not. In this part, the concept of the ‘Panic Ceremony’ will be crucial to understand the logic of the film. The second part delves into historical film studies. Following the works of post-modern historians such as Rosenstone, White or Ferro, I study if the film works not only as a panic film, but also as a valuable experimental historical film. I conclude that L’Arbre de Guernica can be understood as a panic creation, in which the Panic Ceremony is crucial for its representation of the past, thus successfully working as an experimental historical film.