Overview

Full Product Details

9798880703296

Table of Contents

Reviews

Jane Ferguson's book about [Myanmar's lively and vibrant movie industry] is brilliantly researched and elegantly written. . . . Ferguson has broken new ground in the writing of Myanmar history in this excellent book, which deserves a wide audience. As she so brilliantly describes, politics and social developments are not always about so-called 'real people'; actors and their exploits on the silver screen can also have a profound impact on people's perceptions of the society they live in, and social history is shaped by factors we too often neglect. The movie industry is such a factor, and seen in the context of Myanmar's modern history, it has actually always been a very powerful one.--Bertil Lintner ""The Irrawaddy"" Silver Screens and Golden Dreams reflects the author's passion for the country and for this art form. Based on copious original research over a number of years, this social history is both informed and peppered with lively narratives about the many charismatic figures that have populated Burmese cinema on both sides of the camera. Her examination of the role of cinema as the natural heir to performative arts in Myanmar such as puppetry, zat, and anyeint theater, and the relationship between film and cultural identity reveals her intimate knowledge of the country and its ethnically diverse population.--Lindsey Merrison, filmmaker and founder of the Yangon Film School in Myanmar It is hard to imagine a more delightful introduction to the wonderful world of Burmese moviedom than this groundbreaking survey of the histories, technologies, and ideologies of a film industry as unique as it is unknown beyond Burmese borders. Encyclopedic in scope, effervescent in spirit, Silver Screens and Golden Dreams captures the power of Burmese popular culture--cinema, theatre, musical performance--to beguile and endure through six decades of profound political, economic, and social challenges. Movie buffs the world over, no matter how unfamiliar with Burmese movies, will surely be enlightened, charmed, and moved by this pioneering work.--Wendy Law-Yone, author of A Daughter's Memoir of Burma

""Silver Screens and Golden Dreams reflects the author’s passion for the country and for this art form. Based on copious original research over a number of years, this social history is both informed and peppered with lively narratives about the many charismatic figures that have populated Burmese cinema on both sides of the camera. Her examination of the role of cinema as the natural heir to performative arts in Myanmar such as puppetry, zat, and anyeint theater, and the relationship between film and cultural identity reveals her intimate knowledge of the country and its ethnically diverse population."" - Lindsey Merrison, filmmaker and founder of the Yangon Film School in Myanmar ""It is hard to imagine a more delightful introduction to the wonderful world of Burmese moviedom than this groundbreaking survey of the histories, technologies, and ideologies of a film industry as unique as it is unknown beyond Burmese borders. Encyclopedic in scope, effervescent in spirit, Silver Screens and Golden Dreams captures the power of Burmese popular culture—cinema, theatre, musical performance—to beguile and endure through six decades of profound political, economic, and social challenges. Movie buffs the world over, no matter how unfamiliar with Burmese movies, will surely be enlightened, charmed, and moved by this pioneering work."" - Wendy Law-Yone, author of A Daughter’s Memoir of Burma ""Jane Ferguson’s book about [Myanmar’s lively and vibrant movie industry] is brilliantly researched and elegantly written. . . . Ferguson has broken new ground in the writing of Myanmar history in this excellent book, which deserves a wide audience. As she so brilliantly describes, politics and social developments are not always about so-called ‘real people’; actors and their exploits on the silver screen can also have a profound impact on people’s perceptions of the society they live in, and social history is shaped by factors we too often neglect. The movie industry is such a factor, and seen in the context of Myanmar’s modern history, it has actually always been a very powerful one."" - Bertil Lintner The Irrawaddy

Author Information

Jane M. Ferguson is associate professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian history at the Australian National University.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available