Search results

The social & cultural conditions tied to the birth of cinema in Mexico, its evolution as a means of popular entertainment & culture, & the aspects which distinguish it from cinematic development in other countries are explored. It is suggested that the public's adoption of movies as popular entertainment was based on Mexico's tradition of religious festivals. The early, silent Mexican cinema appealed to the emotions, with dramatic themes, eg, obsession, sacrifice, passion, innocence, death, fate, & glory. Many films were based on Mexican literature, revolution, & nationalism. With the advent of sound, themes became less theatrical. Some saw this as the end of artistic cinema. Cinema became dominated by Hollywood, which did not speak the language of Mexico's culture. Because of widespread illiteracy, subtitles for English-language movies did not work, so eventually Mexico began to produce its own talking cinema. Although still dominated by United States capital & technology, it recovered some of its melodrama & ideological themes. S. Whittle.