Description
Book SynopsisIn recent years, Mexican films have received high acclaim and impressive box-office returns. Moreover, Mexico has the most advanced movie industry in the Spanish-speaking world, and its impact on Mexican culture and society cannot be overstated.
Mexico''s Cinema: A Century of Film and Filmmakers is a collection of fourteen essays that encompass the first 100 years of the cinema of Mexico. Included are original contributions written specifically for this title, plus a few classic pieces in the field of Mexican cinema studies never before available in English. These essays explore a variety of themes including race and ethnicity, gender issues, personalities, and the historical development of a national cinematic style.
Each of the book''s three sections-The Silent Cinema, The Golden Age, and The Contemporary Era-is preceded by a short introduction to the period and a presentation of the major themes addressed in the section.
This insightful anthology is the first published study that includes pieces by Mexican and North American scholars, including a piece by the internationally acclaimed essayist Carlos Monsivais. Contributors include other acclaimed scholars and critics as well as young scholars who are currently making their mark in the area of film studies of Mexico. These authors represent various fields-community studies, film studies, cultural history, ethnic studies, and gender studies-making this volume an interdisciplinary resource, important for courses in Latin America and Third World cinema, Mexican history and culture, and Chicana/o and ethnic studies.
Trade Review
In 12 essays, specialists and researchers from both sides of the border examine various aspects of the history and the current state of Mexican cinema. Especially well written and intriguing are essays on the decline of the golden age of film and a fascinating look at Mexican border cinema. Highly recommended. * Library Journal *
Hershfield and Maciel have performed a valuable service to English-language scholarship on Mexican cinema. The essays brought together in this volume cast a new light on the historical dynamics of an important cinematic tradition-its films and stars, its representations of national identity, its crises, and its problematic relations with Hollywood, the market and the state. A welcome addition to the growing bibliography on Latin American cinema. -- Randal Johnson, University of California, Los Angeles
A valuable contribution to knowledge of the film industry in a country with a long and rich film history. * CHOICE *
Hershfield and Maciel have brought together a collection that illuminates Mexico's cinema over the last century. * American Historical Review *
Table of Contents
Part 1 Part I: The Silent Cinema Chapter 2 In Quest of a National Cinema: The Silent Era Chapter 3 The Birth of the Film Industry and the Emergence of Sound Part 4 Part II: The Golden Age Chapter 5 Adela Sequeyro and Matilde Landeta: Two Pioneer Women Directors Chapter 6 Cantinflas and Tin Tan: Mexico's Greatest Comedians Chapter 7 Race and Ethnicity in the Classical Cinema Chapter 8 Melodrama and Social Comedy in the Cinema of the Golden Age Chapter 9 From Collaboration to Containment: Hollywood and the International Political Economy of Mexican Cinema after the Second World War Chapter 10 The Decline of the Golden Age and the Making of the Crisis Part 11 Part III: The Contemporary Era Chapter 12 Cinema and the State in Contemporary Mexico, 1970-1999 Chapter 13 Reconstructing the Border: Mexican Border Cinema and Its Relationship to Its Audience Chapter 14 Women and Gender Representation in the Contemporary Cinema of Mexico Chapter 15 Authentically Mexican?: Mi Querido Tom Mix and Cronos Reframe Critical Questions
