Semester 1.

This module introduces students to the cinema of Latin . It is the first of three modules, one at each level, in which the study of world cinema is developed through a focus on a particular region, its contribution to film history, and the relationships between cultural, political, and cinematic history.

Aims:

·         To introduce analytical, historical, critical and contextual approaches to the study of film from various Latin American countries

·         To position representational strategy as a mode of critical thinking

·         cultivate a deep-rooted understanding of filmmaking in Latin America ;

·         equip her or him with a wide range of ideas and a vocabulary to talk and write about these modes of filmmaking with confidence;

·         show how the films are studied--thematic analysis--, and related to other art forms;

On completion of this module students should be able

·         to accurately relate and evaluate how films can be read as critical visual texts;

·         reflect critically on historical representation and contextualization in cinema;

·         have a clearer understanding of the history, culture, and socio-economic realities of Latin America .

·         The module will consider the socio-cultural and historical valences of Latin American film production.

·         The module will examine how to read culture through filmic representative strategies

11 Lecture/Seminars, web-based discussion groups, student-led discussions/presentations.

Required reading:

Barnard, Tim and Peter Rist, eds. South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography, 1915-1994. New York: Garland Pub, 1996.

Burns, E. Bradford. Latin American Cinema Film and History. UCLA Latin American Studies: V. 26: Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center , University of California , 1975.

Elena, Alberto and Marina Díaz Lopez (eds). The Cinema of Latin America . London : Wallflower Press, 2003.

King, John. Magical Reels: A History of Cinema in Latin America London : Verso, 1990; 2000.

King, John, Ana M. López and Manuel Alvarado, eds., Mediating Two Worlds: Cinematic Encounters in the . London : British Film Institute, 1993.

Martin, Michael T. (ed) The New Latin American Cinema, vols 1 and 2, Wayne State University Press, 1998.

Noriega, Chon A. Visible Nations: Latin American Cinema and Video. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000.

Pick, Zuzana. The New Latin American Cinema: A Continental Project. Austin: Texas UP, 1993.

Shaw, Deborah (ed). Contemporary Latin American Cinema: Breaking into the Global Market. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.

Stevens, Donald Fithian, ed. Based on a True Story: Latin American History at the Movies. Latin American Silhouettes. Wilmington : SR Books, 1997.

Selection of Films (Not limited to these):

Down Argentine Way (USA 1941)

Aventurera (Mexico 1945)

María Candelaria (Mexico 1943)

Danzón ( 1992)

Memories of Underdevelopment ( 1968)

Quilombo (Brazil 1984)

Viva Zapata (USA 1952)

Machuca (Chile 2004)

The Official Story ( 1985)

Camila ( 1984)

The Last Supper ( 1979)

María Full of Grace (Colombia 2003)

Strawberry and Chocolate ( 1995)

Los Olvidados (The Young and Damned) ( 1950)

City of God (Brazil 2006)