MagicalReels:AHistoryofCinemainLatinAmerica

StillthemostcomprehensiveanalysisofthesubjecttohaveappearedinEnglish,MagicalReelschartsthedevelopmentofLatinAmericanfilmindustriesinaworldincreasinglydominatedbytheadvancedtechnologyandmassivedistributionbudgetsoftheNorthAmericanmainstream.JohnKingsetsupahistoricalframeworktounfoldtheoverlappinghistoriesofcinemainthecontinent:theitinerantfilm-makersofthesilenterawhoprojectedtheirfilmsincafesandvillagehalls,theinventiveuseofvernacularmusicandlocalcomedyinearlysoundpictures,the“goldenage”of1940sMexicancinema,andthe“newcinema”—oppositionalcinemamade“withanideaintheheadandacamerainthehand”—ofthelate1950sandbeyond.Acountry-by-countryaccountofthisnewwaveallowsdetaileddiscussionof,forinstance,PeronistcinemainArgentina,1960s’revolutionaryfilm-makinginCuba,state-sponsoredcinemain1970s’BrazilandVenezuela,andthestrugglefordemocratizationinChileinthe1980s.AnewchapterwrittenforthiseditionexaminesLatinAmericancinemaofthe1990s,raisingissuessuchasglobalization,newcinemaaudiences,filmfundinganddistribution.