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A Vernacular National Cinema: Amateur Filmmaking in Catalonia (1932–1936).
- Source :
-
Film History . Spring2018, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p1-29. 29p. 7 Black and White Photographs, 1 Chart. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- This essay argues that the development of amateur cinema in Catalonia in the 1930s is key to understanding the role that film played in Spain’s complex engagement with modernity. I pose amateur cinema as a forgotten avant-garde that spearheaded the emergence of film culture beyond the commercial screen in regions with minor film industries. I examine the particular visual regime fostered by these filmmakers, the distribution of social bodies in their films, and their class-oriented view of reality. I argue that their films embodied the anxiety of a dominant class faced with the reality that public life suddenly had to be shared with the so-called masses who were advancing to the foreground of society. Therefore, I understand the cultural production of Catalan amateurs as a reflection of the archaic class relations that were fueling radicalization in the Spanish sociopolitical realm. The amateur archive is thus a necessary repository to aid our understanding of how moving images became the most widespread form of cultural representation—but also social domination and indoctrination—throughout the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 08922160
- Volume :
- 30
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Film History
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 130091525
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2979/filmhistory.30.1.02