Reviews for Contemporary Media Culture and the Remnants of a Colonial Past

The average rating for Contemporary Media Culture and the Remnants of a Colonial Past based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-01-03 00:00:00 Fabian Paredes A welcome and interesting read for someone who doesn't frequently tackle non-fiction, or anyone wanting to revive their interest in Italian history, culture and language. Angela Dalle Vacche has clearly put a tremendous amount of energy into researching the historical contexts and philosophical writings that contributed to the figure of the "diva" in early 20th century Italian film. However, Dalle Vacche forgot to do her homework in the fields of study of feminist and gender theory, even though an analysis of feminist and gender politics in Italian cinema comprised a crucial part of the book. She never provides a coherent explanation of what she means when she tosses around words like "masculinity," "femininity," "feminism," or "natural." She even resorts to the stereotype of cross-dressing as a form of the "grotesque" without problematizing that theatrical trope. Yikes.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-11-05 00:00:00 Normand Theroux Explores the phenomenon of the Italian Diva film (at its height between 1914 and 1920), placing it in the context of philosophical and social movements in a deeply repressive and misogynistic society. It's not an easy read--the author's rhetorical flights can be puzzling, but in describing the films in more of a metaphorical than concrete manner helps impart some of the flavor of these crazy and wonderful films. And it gets easier to read as i goes along. As a bonus, the book contains a DVD of the Peter Delpeut compilation film Diva Dolorosa (1999) which ends with Lyda Borelli in the magical finale of Rapsodia Satanica (1915), one of my favorite pieces of film. I've recommended this book/DVD combo to two people already this week, and I normally don't do that.