Gender and Society in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema

Gender and Society in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema
Author: David William Foster
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2010-06-28
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0292789165

"Gender is an absolute ground zero for most human societies," writes David William Foster, "an absolute horizon of social subjectivity." In this book, he examines gender issues in thirteen Brazilian films made (with one exception) after the 1985 return to constitutional democracy and elimination of censorship to show how these issues arise from and comment on the sociohistorical reality of contemporary Brazilian society. Foster organizes his study around three broad themes: construction of masculinity, constructions of feminine and feminist identities, and same-sex positionings and social power. Within his discussions of individual films ranging from Jorge um brasileiro to A hora da estrela to Beijo no asfalto, he offers new ways of understanding national ideals and stereotypes, sexual dissidence (homoeroticism and transgenderism), heroic models, U.S./Brazilian relations, revolutionary struggle, and human rights violations. As the first study of Brazilian cinematic representations of gender ideology in English or Portuguese, this book will be important reading in film and cultural studies.

Theatre of the Oppressed

Theatre of the Oppressed
Author: Augusto Boal
Publisher: Get Political
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2008
Genre: Social classes in literature
ISBN: 9780745328386

''... brilliantly original ... brings cultural and post-colonial theory to bear on a wide range of authors with great skill and sensitivity.' Terry Eagleton

Remaking Brazil

Remaking Brazil
Author: Tatiana Signorelli Heise
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2012
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780708325094

This book explores conflicting conceptions of Brazilian national identity as they are expressed in contemporary Brazilian cinema, especially those revolving around the long-standing claim that Brazil is a racial democracy. -- Welsh Books Council

Cannibalizing Queer

Cannibalizing Queer
Author: João Nemi Neto
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2022-02-08
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0814346111

Puts forward a new, provocative history of queer cinema in Brazil. Through an analysis of contemporary Brazilian cinematic production, Cannibalizing Queer: Brazilian Cinema from 1970 to 2015 discusses which queer representations are erased and which are acknowledged in the complex processes of cultural translation, adaptation, and "devouring" that defines the Brazilian understanding of sexual dissidents and minorities. João Nemi Neto argues for Brazilian cinema studies to acknowledge the importance of 1920s modernism and of antropografia, a conceptual mode of cannibalism, to adopt and extrapolate a perverse form of absorption and raise the stakes on queer theory and postcolonialism, and to demonstrate how they are crucial to the development of a queer tradition in Brazilian cinema. In five chapters and two "trailers," Nemi Neto understands the term "queer" through its political dimensions because the films he analyzes represent characters that conform neither to American coming-out politics nor to Brazilian identity politics. Nonetheless, the films are queer precisely because the queer experiences and affection explored in these films do not necessarily insist on identifying characters as a particular sexuality or gender identity. Therefore, attention to characters within a unique cinematic world raises the stakes on several issues that hinge on cinematic form, narrative, and representation. Nemi Neto interviews and examines the work of João Silvério Trevisan and provides readings of films such as AIDS o furor do sexo explícito (AIDS the Furor of Explicit Sex, 1986), and Dzi Croquetes (Dzi Croquetes, 2009) to theorize a productive overlap between queer and antropofagia. Moreover, the films analyzed here depict queer alternative representations to both homonormativity and heteronormativity as forms of resistance, at the same time as prejudice and heteronormativity remain present in contemporary Brazilian social practices. Graduate students and scholars of cinema and media studies, queer studies, Brazilian modernism, and Latin American studies will value what one early reader called "a point of departure for all future research on Brazilian queer cinema."

The Modern Brazilian Stage

The Modern Brazilian Stage
Author: David George
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2014-07-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0292772920

Reading a play and watching it performed onstage are quite different experiences. Likewise, studying a country's theatrical tradition with reference only to playtexts overlooks the vital impact of a play's performance on the audience and on the whole artistic community. In this performance-centered approach to Brazilian theatre since the 1940s, David George explores a total theatrical language—the plays, the companies that produced them, and the performances that set a standard for all future stagings. George structures the discussion around several important companies. He begins with Os Comediantes, whose revolutionary 1943 staging of Nelson Rodrigues' Vestido de Noiva (Bridal Gown) broke with the outmoded comedy-of-manners formula that had dominated the national stage since the nineteenth century. He considers three companies of the 1950s and 1960s—Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia, Teatro de Arena, and Teatro Oficina—along with the 1967 production of O Rei da Vela (The Candle King) by Teatro Oficina. The 1970s represented a wasteland for Brazilian theatre, George finds, in which a repressive military dictatorship muzzled artistic expression. The Grupo Macunaíma brought theatre alive again in the 1980s, with its productions of Macunaíma and Nelson 2 Rodrigues. Common to all theatrical companies, George concludes, was the desire to establish a national aesthetic, free from European and United States models. The creative tension this generated and the successes of modern Brazilian theatre make lively reading for all students of Brazilian and world drama.

Brazilian Cinema

Brazilian Cinema
Author: Randal Johnson
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 496
Release: 1995
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780231102674

From the documentary to the cinema novo and cannibalism, from Nelson Pereira dos Santos's Vidas Secas to music in the films of Glauber Rocha, this third, revised edition is a century-spanning introduction to the story of a medium that flourished in one of the most developed of 'underdeveloped' nations.

Space and Subjectivity in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema

Space and Subjectivity in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema
Author: Antônio Márcio da Silva
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2017-08-12
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 331948267X

This collection explores the emergence of new spatialities and subjectivities in Brazilian films produced from the 1990s onwards, a period that became known as the retomada, but especially in the cinema of the new millennium. The chapters take spatiality as a powerful tool that can reveal aesthetic, political, social, and historical meanings of the cinematographic image instead of considering space as just a formal element of a film. From the rich cross-fertilization of different theories and disciplines, this edited collection engages with the connection between space and subjectivity in Brazilian cinema while raising new questions concerning spatiality and subjectivity in cinema and providing new models and tools for film analysis.

Modern Brazil

Modern Brazil
Author: Javier A. Galván
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: History
ISBN:

This book is a crucial reference source for high school and undergraduate college students interested in contemporary Brazil. While it provides a general historical and cultural background, it also focuses on issues affecting modern Brazil. In recent years, Brazil has come onto the world stage as an economic powerhouse, a leader in Latin America. This latest addition to the Understanding Modern Nations series focuses on Brazil's culture, history, and society. This volume provides readers with a wide understanding of Brazil's historical past, the foundation for its cultural traditions, and an understanding of its social structure. In addition, it provides a look into contemporary society by highlighting both national accomplishments and challenges Brazilians face in the twenty-first century. Specific chapters cover geography; history; government and politics; economy; religion; social classes and ethnicity; gender, marriage and sexuality; education; language; etiquette; literature and drama; arts and architecture; music and dance; food; leisure and sports; and media, cinema, and popular culture. Entries within each chapter look at topics such as cultural icons, economic inequalities, race and ethnicity, soccer, politics, environmental conservation, and women's rights. Ideal for high school and undergraduate students, this volume paints a panoramic overview of one of the most powerful countries in the Americas.

Introduction to Brazil

Introduction to Brazil
Author: Gilad James, PhD
Publisher: Gilad James Mystery School
Total Pages: 96
Release:
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 8796613904

Brazil is a country located in South America and it is the largest nation on the continent. It is also the fifth largest country in the world by both land area and population, with over 209 million people residing in its 26 states. Brazil is known for its rich culture, diverse population, and natural wonders such as the Amazon rainforest and Iguazu Falls. The country has a mixed economy with agriculture, manufacturing, and the service industry being its main sectors. It is also home to several globally recognized brands such as Petrobras, Vale, and Embraer. Brazil is also known for its vibrant music and dance scene, with samba being one of the most popular cultural exports from the country. Despite its many accomplishments, Brazil continues to face challenges such as inequality, poverty, and ongoing issues with corruption.