Humor in Latin American Cinema (New Directions in Latino American Cultures)

This book addresses a variety of regional humor traditions such as exploitation cinema, Brazilian chanchada, the Cantinflas heritage, the comedy of manners and light sexuality, iconic figures and characters, as well as a variety of humor registers evident in different Latin American films. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Cinema and Humor in Latin America: An Introduction....Pages 1-28 Luis Sandrini’s Stutter, Early Argentine Film Comedy, and the Representability of Time....Pages 29-46 “Comrades, There Are Moments in Life That Are Truly Momentary”: Cantinflas and the Administration of Public Matters....Pages 47-66 The Laugh of Niní Marshall: Comic Performance and Gender Performativity in Argentinean Classical Cinema....Pages 67-84 The Early Comedies of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea....Pages 85-108 Backwardness and Modernity in the Rural Tradition of Mazzaropi Comedies....Pages 109-128 Enrique Cahen Salaberry and Hugo Sofovich: Humor Strategies in the Films Featuring the Duo Alberto Olmedo and Jorge Porcel....Pages 129-154 Colombian Popular Comedy for Dummies: The Nieto Roa and Dago García Producciones Formula....Pages 155-182 Invasion of the Nacos! Mocking Social Prejudice in Contemporary Mexican Cinema....Pages 183-202 Humorous Affects: Romantic Comedies in Contemporary Mexico....Pages 203-222 Who’s Laughing Now? Indigenous Media and the Politics of Humor....Pages 223-246 A Sense of Humor and Society in Three Chilean Comedies: Taxi para tres, Sexo con Amor, and Super, Todo Chile adentro....Pages 247-266 Back Matter....Pages 267-279 A cursory look at some of the Latin American movies with the highest attendance in the history of their respective national industries reveals that comedies have been extraordinarily successful. Surprisingly, the cultures of Latin America have produced little historiographical or critical material investigating their rich past and current production at the intersection of humor and cinema. This book addresses a variety of regional humor traditions such as exploitation cinema, Brazilian chanchada, the Cantinflas heritage, the comedy of manners and light sexuality, as well as a variety of humor registers evident in different Latin American films