Gypsies, guitars, flamenco and donkeys.

Getting rid of Spain’s cliché image is hard work. The  Guardian tells us about a Netflix film about Spain that is full of stupid, romantic clichés, though not one scene of the film was actually shot in Spain:

The film centres on an American couple, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, travelling around Europe. When they arrive in Málaga they are greeted by a Gypsy woman wearing a flamenco dress, a man with a guitar and a guide decked out in the red and yellow of the Spanish flag.

The guide awaits them beside an ancient bus bearing the sign Gonzales Tour. Aside from the fact that Spanish tour buses are usually sleekly modern and air conditioned, the Spanish name is González, not Gonzales.

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Fátima Oliva, a spokeswoman for Costa del Sol tourism, said: “The image in this film bears no resemblance to what the Costa del Sol is really like. We’re more surprised than indignant. It’s a very old fashioned idea of life here, with a Gypsy at the airport and all that. Málaga has 37 museums and has become an important cultural tourist destination.”

“The image is very retrograde,” she said, adding that the film-makers seem stuck with an idea of Spain from 50 years ago. “Maybe they’ve never been here or they simply prefer to play with cliches. That’s why we’ve invited them to come and see for themselves in situ.”

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Film-makers seem determined to cling to a fantasy version of Spain, with bullfighters, flamenco and donkeys. In Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen cast Javier Bardem as a stereotyped roué and Latin lover while his cliched portrait of Barcelona caused much hilarity among residents.