Revolution and Rebellion in Mexican Film (Topics and Issues in National Cinema) - Softcover

In this highly readable book Dr. Thornton casts her expert eye over filmic engagement with definitional conflicts in Mexican history. Revolution and Rebellion in Mexican Films is informative, accessible, original and sophisticated. We learn of a wide range of films that depict the Mexican Revolution, the 1968 student movement, and the 1994 Zapatista rebellion. This book is essential and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in Mexican history and film. * Deborah Shaw, School of Creative Arts, Film and Media, University of Portsmouth, UK * A breathtakingly authoritative review of Mexican film that covers the major titles as well as lesser-known but significant works, Niamh Thornton's agile history takes the Mexican Revolution as an organizational principle and expands in multiple directions to provide a solid and entertaining foundation for the beginner and a nuanced, women-sensitive analysis for the specialist. From stars Maria Felix to subcomandante Marcos, from the original Villa and Zapata to their strangest filmic incarnations, this book has it all-including treatment of the appalling massacres of the late 1960s and early 1970s. * Emily Hind, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Wyoming, US * Revolution and Rebellion in Mexican Film studies the voices of both the State and the people, sometimes in confrontation, in the cinema of what was once called the Mexican War and its subsequent battles in the 20th century. It is an important contribution to the understanding of the Mexican cinematic imagination and societal realm. * Fernando Fabio Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Spanish, California Polytechnic State University, US * This is an insightful, well researched, and original piece of work that considers the filmic representations of the Revolution, notions of revolution, and the framing of political dissonance in Mexican cinema. Thornton's book is a valuable addition to the field of Mexican film, and is an essential resource for students and researchers of Latin American, international and transnational film. * Miriam Haddu, Senior Lecturer in Mexican Visual Culture Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK * Thornton presents a fresh look at the history of cinema in Mexico that depicts the Revolution of 1910, the student movement of 1869, and the Zapatista rebellion of 1994 to the present. Thornton's book is not only a history, but a well-thought out criticism of the history of cinema in Mexico and of the selected films reviewed in this volume. This book is for the general reader of Mexican history, history of cinema, and is recommended for classroom use. * Colonial Latin Historical Review *

Revolution and Rebellion in Mexican Film examines Mexican films of political conflict from the early studio Revolutionary films of the 1930-50s up to the campaigning Zapatista films of the 2000s. Mapping this evolution out for the first time, the author takes three key events under consideration: the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920); the student movement and massacre in 1968; and, finally, the more recent Zapatista Rebellion (1994-present).

Analyzing films such as Vamanos con Pancho Villa (1936), El Grito (1968), and Corazon del Tiempo (2008), the author uses the term 'political conflict' to refer to those violent disturbances, dramatic periods of confrontation, injury and death, which characterize particular historical events involving state and non-state actors that may have a finite duration, but have a long-lasting legacy on the nation. These conflicts have been an important component of Mexican film since its inception and include studio productions, documentaries, and independent films.