Latin American Cinema

This book provides a succinct and comprehensive history of Latin American cinema from its origins in 1896 to the award-winning cinema of the present day. It analyses landmark films - including El Megano (1955), Black God, White Devil (1964), The Official Version (1984), Central Station (1998), Amores Perros (2000), City of God (2002) and Babel (2006) and Gravity (2013) - while tracing the broad contours of and connections between major historical developments. Stephen Hart guides us through the story of how Hollywood dominance succumbed to the emergence of the nuevo cine Latinoamericano and how this in turn led to the twenty-first century's 'New' New Latin American Cinema. He provides a fresh analysis of Latin American cinema as seen through the prism of the major changes in film technology, looking closely at the films themselves and examining how their messages - through techniques and tricks of the trade - are expressed. We see how paradigm shifts such as the move to digital media at the close of the twentieth century led to new cinematographic techniques and visions, as well as how the decision by a group of Latin American directors to film in English led to the creation of a new globalized filmic idiom, enhancing the global visibility of Latin American cinema. Providing original views on major films and featuring mini-biographies of the central film directors, this is a clear and concise guide to the history of Latin American cinema.