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9780810885042

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This highly specialized work should find a welcome place in large libraries that specialize in film studies and material on Hispanic culture. American Reference Books Annual Deveny (McDaniel College) carefully traces issues pertaining to migration, a subject commonly treated in Hispanic cinema. A short introduction presents a variety of themes that Spanish and Latin American cinema explore, with particular emphasis on specific reasons for often-massive national immigration patterns. The core of the book stresses the widely popular Hispanic cinematic countries (Spain, Mexico, and Argentina). Other entries present less frequently explored countries (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay). The book's strength is its easy-to-follow historical approach to the national cinemas' treatments of reasons for large immigration waves. These elements, as Deveny documents, are specific to the country. The impact of the Spanish Civil War is one theme that Spanish directors often explore. Argentines have fully documented the immigration of Europeans to Argentina. Mexicans have thoroughly covered the American influence after the Mexican American War. A chapter on Spanish Caribbean countries (Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico) explores cinematic treatments of these islands' significant immigrations into the US. The discussion of individual films makes the analysis more critical and produces concrete examples to support a lively argument. In addition to those taking traditional courses on Hispanic cultures, students in Latino studies will find this book of interest. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. CHOICE Thomas G. Deveny's Migration in Contemporary Hispanic Cinema is an ambitious work that attempts to trace patterns across a diverse range of films dealing with the topic of migration. As a crucial concern in our contemporary globalized world, migration has become a key theme in Spanish-speaking cinemas. However, in spite of this, there remains a significant gap in terms of scholarship on the importance of migration in this context. This book therefore offers an important contribution to the field, due to its far-reaching geographical scope as well as the vast number of films it references...Overall, the book is noteworthy for its impressive filmographical reach. Some ninety films, both fictional and documentary features, are discussed in detail, and a variety of genres (drama, comedy, thriller) are examined. The breadth of material studied positions this work as a crucial resource for those investigating the topic of migration in a Hispanic context. Bulletin of Spanish Studies

This highly specialized work should find a welcome place in large libraries that specialize in film studies and material on Hispanic culture. American Reference Books Annual (ARBA)

Author Information

Thomas G. Deveny is professor of Spanish and comparative literature at McDaniel College. His books Cain on Screen: Contemporary Spanish Cinema (1993) and Contemporary Spanish Film from Fiction (1999) were also published by Scarecrow Press.

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