17. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

From Madrid (1988) to New York (2010)

Summary

The author's personal connection with Almodóvar's cinema began with the commercial release of Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios/Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown(1988) in New York in the fall of 1988. Having approached the Broadway adaptation of Women on the Verge with the reserve and critical eye of a Spanish cinema historian and critic and an ardent fan of the film, the author suspects that Brantley's negative review was motivated by some of the same arguments expressed by the predictable detractors of Almodóvar's films. The appreciation of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: The Musical comes largely from the knowledge and enjoyment of the film, which is a groundbreaking reference critical to Almodóvar's national and international success and almost a cult film representing the early Almodovarian comedic essence that vanished progressively as his oeuvre became more and more melodramatic.