Sobre la Historia del Cine

The chapter “On the History of Cinema” offers a critical analysis of the evolution of historiographical thought on cinema in Spain, tracing its development from the early years of the medium up to the 1960s and situating it in dialogue with major international theoretical currents. The aim of the chapter is not merely to reconstruct a chronological account of authors and works, but rather to examine the conceptual, methodological, and ideological frameworks that have shaped the writing of film history within the Spanish context. Through a comparative reading of foundational texts, the chapter explores the shift from a descriptive and accumulative historiography toward progressively more analytical approaches, attentive to the conditions of film production, circulation, and reception. It addresses the tensions between cinema understood as art, as industry, and as a cultural phenomenon, as well as the role played by film criticism, cinephilia, and cultural institutions in consolidating a distinct historiographical discourse. The analysis assigns particular significance to the 1950s and 1960s as a turning point marked by the reception of European cinematic modernity, the emergence of specialized film criticism, and the gradual institutionalization of film studies. Ultimately, the chapter demonstrates that the history of cinema in Spain is shaped by intersecting aesthetic, cultural, and political debates, arguing for the need to understand it as a historically situated discursive construction. This contribution thus forms part of a broader reflection on film historiography as an interpretive and critical practice