magical realism and film
James P Castonguay
>
>I am starting a project (and will propose to teach a class) on magical
>realism in film and literature.
>
>The only source I know directly dealing with magical realism in film is
>Fredric Jameson's article in _Critical Inquiry_ a few years ago. One of the
>problems with this article is that he analyzes two films that I suspect are
>nearly impossible to get hold of--indeed for one, the Polish film _Fever_ he
>explicitly states that there is only one print in the US. Thanks, Fred.
>
>So I would be interested in any suggestions as to examples of or definitions
>of magical realism in film. Some examples that I have come up with include
>_Like Water For Chocolate_, _Wings of Desire_, _Miracle in Milan_, _Santa
>Sangre_ and _The Tin Drum_.
>
>If it helps, I don't have a much better idea of how to define magical
>realism in literature, except to reel off a list of the usual suspects:
>Rushdie, Garcia Marquez, Grass, Kundera, Carpentier, Allende....
>
>My suspicion is that as a _formal_ concept magical realism doesn't have much
>weight and is separable only with difficulty from the fable, the fantastic
>or whatever. As a historical concept, magical realism is usually associated
>with post-colonialism (with German and Czech twists) and with different ways
>of writing history (often woman or "home" centered as in both Allende's
>_House of the Spirits_ and _Like Water For Chocololate_) I have a feeling
>that cooking is important--cf. Rushdie's _Midnight's Children_; thus maybe
>_Tampopo_?--and a certain political content generated by the sense of a
>failing _poltical_ realism (thus _Brazil_?).
>
>But in the end I still have little idea. Thanks in advance.
>
>Jon
>
> jbmu...@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
>
Chris Stolz
film. I'd say that _Como Agua para Chocolate_, _Wings of Desire_
and _Brazil_ are the most salient examples, tho' the formal
radicalism of the first two is betrayed by remarkably
conservative endings. You might look also at tarkovsky's
_Solaris_, but this is an extremely demanding and complex film to
feed to undergraduates. I'm inclined also to think of Lynch's
Twin Peaks-- Fire Walk with Me film as magic realism. Hell,
that's the closest to the Garciamarquesian aesthetic as I've yet
seen in film, though this film too is deeply flawed despite its
many brilliant moments. Good luck on your quest.
AN04000
-Prospero's Books- would also have that magical element. lara
Pete Clinch
: -Prospero's Books- would also have that magical element. lara
Indeed it has a magical effect. It magically transformed me into
someone who wanted to take an axe to the projection booth...
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
voice 44 382 60111 x 2050 Department of Medical Physics
fax 44 382 640177 Ninewells Hospital
email pjcl...@dux.dundee.ac.uk Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, UK
Chris Stolz
the biggest piece of overwrought crap ever to emanate from a
projection booth. Why spend millions on something you can have
more fun reading at home?
Now that I've thought about it more, I can't think of any
examples of magic realism in film, at least not hte
latin-american style of magic realism, which is both historically
very detailed and accurate and fantastic, the hallmark of this
genre is that it doesn't privilege one of these over the other.
chris
Pete Clinch
: I'll second and third that motion, Pete. prospero's Books was
: the biggest piece of overwrought crap ever to emanate from a
: projection booth.
Maybe not the case Chris: apparently, PG's latest, The Baby of Macon,
is considerably worse... After suffering through PB, however, I
didn't have the stomach to find out for myself.