Cinema has long played a crucial role in the way that societies represent themselves. Hedges discusses the role of cinema in creating cultural memory within a global perspective that spans five continents. The book's innovative approach and approachable style should transform the way that we think of film and its social effects.
I. Hedges
cinema Cultural Memory film identity memory
“World Cinema and Cultural Memory is a treasure trove of evidence and analysis, providing a vital resource for anyone interested in changing the world. Its rich compendium of films from many parts of the world – some well known, others, undeservedly obscure – would alone make this book essential reading. … Hedges deploys eight typologies of memory, each one associated with particular countries, bodies of cinematic or literary work, and those filmmakers, writers and political actors involved in carrying them out.” (Mat Callahan, Socialism and Democracy, October, 2016)
"Inez Hedges' book is a fascinating excursion on the multiple oppositional uses of memory in world cinema. It shows, in a lively and insightful way, how movies bring the memory of past struggles forward into the present, to serve as an inspiration for the future. The spirit of Surrealism - the movement that according to Walter Benjamin was able to "win the energies of intoxication for the revolution" - haunts the pages of this beautiful essay." - Michael Löwy, Emeritus Research Director, CNRS, France."With memory and memorialization shaping a range of struggles for personal and collective self-definition, this book's focus on global oppositional cinema as a repository and shaper of memory makes a unique contribution to both memory and cinema studies. Its generously inclusive sweep lays out a useful comparative overview that illuminates cinema's powerful ability to shape collective awareness with far-reaching consequences." - Linda Dittmar, Professor Emerita of Literature and Film Studies and author of From Hanoi to Hollywood and Multiple Voices in Feminist Film Criticism.
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