Epps (Romance language and literatures, Harvard U.) and Kakoudaki (literature and film, American U.) assemble articles on the artistic vision, preoccupations, influences, and techniques of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. Scholars of film, languages and literature, cultural studies, and other fields from the US, UK, and Spain provide overviews of his works and analyses of specific films like Bad Education, Matador, Labyrinth of Passion, Talk to Her, and Volver. They discuss his use of television and music; his reworkings of traditional genres such as comedy, horror, and film noir; his use of melodrama and its relationship to melancholy, violence, and coincidence; his consideration of sexual and national identities; his understanding of history and memory; and his use of visuality. The book concludes with Almodóvar's diary account of the making of Volver. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)