Latin American History at the Movies - (Latin American Silhouettes) by Donald F Stevens (Paperback)

About the Book

Combining history with discussion of cinema, this book examines how film has portrayed five hundred years of Latin America history. An introduction on the visual presentation of the past sets the stage for essays that explore sixteen of the best feature films on Latin America ...

Book Synopsis

Combining history with discussion of cinema, this book examines how film has portrayed five hundred years of Latin America history. An introduction on the visual presentation of the past sets the stage for essays that explore sixteen of the best feature films on Latin America from the perspective of historians.

Review Quotes

I am inspired to create a Latin American film course using this anthology! It's perfect for the classroom. The excellent selection of films presents a wide range of pressing Latin American issues in provocative ways. This is a unique anthology in which experts in the field of Latin American history analyze and evaluate films in depth with cultural and historical context.

I have always thought of Latin America as a big, fat telenovela in which we are all overwrought characters. This book offers a more measured version of it, with Lope de Aguirre, Sor Juana, Che Guevara, and Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero eating popcorn and crying crocodile tears together.

This is much more than a welcome update to Donald Stevens's first important collection. It is a veritable new volume, with an array of recent films--from Apocalypto to Roma--under scrutiny and filled with essays brimming with insight and analysis. This volume should become a standard reference point for teachers and researchers of Latin American history and film.

About the Author

Donald F. Stevens is professor emeritus of history at Drexel University. His books include Mexico in the Time of Cholera.