Los Tarantos : Negotiations of Romani Catalan Identity Through Shakespeare

Abstract

Abstract: This article analyzes Francisco Rovira Beleta’s film Los Tarantos (1963), a Spanish-language adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet , arguing that the film’s representation of Catalan Roma subtly advances a critique of Franquista nationalism. The film is set in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, and is remembered for its preservation in film of the Somorrostro neighborhood, an area of Barcelona’s beachfront that was inhabited by poor Romani people but torn down in 1966, as well as for starring flamenco legend, Carmen Amaya, as Angustias (Lady Montague). Los Tarantos retells the feud of the Capulets and Montagues as a more recent, violent affair between the Tarantos and Zorongos. This article argues that, through its representation of bullfighting and flamenco, the film critiques the packaging of Spain by Franco’s government for tourist consumption. Los Tarantos contrasts bullfighting, which becomes evocative of violent machismo in its linkage to the film’s villain Curro Picado (Tybalt/Paris), with flamenco, which is positioned as a resistance to Franco’s nationalism due to its Romani roots. The film uses Shakespeare as a mask for its critique of Franquista machismo and the touristic takeover of Spain. Set in Catalonia, and made by a Catalan director, Los Tarantos critiques Spanish nationalism, suggesting possibilities for Catalonian self-determination and centering Catalan Roma and their political demands.