The Balearic Island’s Image in the Cinema before 1936

Abstract

The origins of cinema in the Balearic Islands are closely linked to stories of travellers who came to these islands in search of good weather, splendid landscapes and the picturesqueness of centuries-old traditions and customs. Along with the filming of local pioneers, documentaries by the great French producers of the turn of the century, Pathé and Gaumont, abound. These films contrast with written testimonies by visitors who landed on islands not yet discovered by mass tourism. The steep and rocky landscape is the perfect setting for this fictions. Majorcan productions, co-productions and amateur films, also from Menorca and Ibiza, constitute the visual testimony of the Balearic Islands prior to 1936.