Dear MECCSA subscribers,

For those interested in the ‘How to Study Silent Cinema’ Public Lecture by Professor Jacqueline Reich, we offer her three titles on Italian cinema and Italian silent cinema.

We hope you find these titles of interest.

The Maciste Films of Italian Silent Cinema

Jacqueline Reich

"By weaving together questions of stardom, genre, and national ideology through groundbreaking archival research, Dr. Reich’s reading of Maciste provides a fantastically rich and exceptional contribution to star studies, Italian studies, and film history." —Giorgio Bertellini, editor of Italian Silent Cinema: A Reader

"...a brilliant contribution to the study of stardom in silent film. Reich combines stylish writing, deep historical research, and intellectual sophistication to tell the story of an overlooked star from one of the most important periods of Italian cinema. Engaging in a wide-ranging but carefully considered examination of extra-cinematic and cinematic discourses, including recently restored prints, Reich persuasively argues that Maciste’s populist appeal as an icon of masculinity linked to national identity demonstrates the power of cinematic stardom to merge political and visual culture in sometimes unexpected and startling ways." —Gaylyn Studlar, David May Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis

"At long last, this carefully researched, clearly written and theoretically informed star study offers a fascinating and multi-faceted portrait of one of the most intriguing --- and heretofore elusive --- figures in the history of silent film. Employing a full range of interdisciplinary approaches, together with a thorough examination of archival resources and a masterful synthesis of historical details, Jacqueline Reich's The Maciste Films of Italian Silent Cinema marks a major contribution to film scholarship." —John P. Welle, University of Notre Dame

Italian film star Bartolomeo Pagano's "Maciste" played a key role in his nation’s narratives of identity during World War I and after. Jacqueline Reich traces the racial, class, and national transformations undergone by this Italian strongman from African slave in Cabiria (1914), his first film, to bourgeois gentleman, to Alpine soldier of the Great War, to colonial officer in Italy's African adventures. Reich reveals Maciste as a figure who both reflected classical ideals of masculine beauty and virility (later taken up by Mussolini and used for political purposes) and embodied the model Italian citizen. The 12 films at the center of the book, recently restored and newly accessible to a wider public, together with relevant extra-cinematic materials, provide a rich resource for understanding the spread of discourses on masculinity, and national and racial identities during a turbulent period in Italian history. The volume includes an illustrated appendix documenting the restoration and preservation of these cinematic treasures.

Indiana University Press

October 2015 432pp 52 b&w illus., 31 color illus. 9780253017451 Paperback ~~£23.99~~ now only £19.19* when you quote CSL1115REI when you order

http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/Book/51264/The-Maciste-Films-of-Italian-Silent-Cinema

Beyond the Latin Lover

Marcello Mastroianni, Masculinity, and Italian Cinema

Jacqueline Reich

Marcello Mastroianni is considered by many to be the epitome of the Latin lover, the consummate symbol of Italian masculinity. In Beyond the Latin Lover, Jacqueline Reich unmasks the reality behind the myth. In her investigation of many of Mastroianni’s most famous characters in Italian cinema, she reveals that beneath the image of hyper-masculinity lies the figure of the inetto, the Italian schlemiel at odds with and out of place in a rapidly changing world. Diverse roles throughout his career—the impotent man, the cuckold, and the unruly woman’s victim, among others—present an anti-hero caught in traditional but increasingly unsteady modes of masculinity. Far from being a study of just one Italian film star, however, Reich’s work demonstrates that Mastroianni’s inetto is a reflection of the unstable political, social, and sexual climate of post-war Italy and its constantly shifting gender roles.

Indiana University Press

March 2004 248pp 42 b&w photos, 1 bibliog., 1 index 9780253216441 Paperback ~~£16.99~~ now only £13.59* when you quote CSL1115REI when you order

http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/Book/34446/Beyond-the-Latin-Lover

Re-viewing Fascism

Italian Cinema, 1922-1943

Edited by Jacqueline Reich & Piero Garofalo

"Each essay makes a point of correcting misconceptions about the cinema during the ventennio [the period of fascist rule], which makes this book a significant contribution to the literature." —S. Vander Closter, Rhode Island School of Design, Choice, December 2002

When Benito Mussolini proclaimed that "Cinema is the strongest weapon," he was telling only half the story. In reality, very few feature films during the Fascist period can be labeled as propaganda. Re-viewing Fascism considers the many films that failed as "weapons" in creating cultural consensus and instead came to reflect the complexities and contradictions of Fascist culture. The volume also examines the connection between cinema of the Fascist period and neorealism—ties that many scholars previously had denied in an attempt to view Fascism as an unfortunate deviation in Italian history. The postwar directors Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, and Vittorio de Sica all had important roots in the Fascist era, as did the Venice Film Festival. While government censorship loomed over Italian filmmaking, it did not prevent frank depictions of sexuality and representations of men and women that challenged official gender policies. Re-viewing Fascism brings together scholars from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds as it offers an engaging and innovative look into Italian cinema, Fascist culture, and society.

Indiana University Press

May 2002 384pp 25 b&w photos, 1 index 9780253215185 Paperback ~~£16.99~~ now only £13.59* when you quote CSL1115REI when you order

http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/Book/34916/Re-viewing-Fascism

http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/the-maciste-films-of-italian-silent-cinema

UK Postage and Packing FREE, Europe £4.50, RoW £4.99

(PLEASE QUOTE REF NUMBER: CSL115REI ** for discount)

To order a copy please contact Marston on +44(0)1235 465500 or email [log in to unmask]

or visit our website:

http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/

where you can also receive your discount

*Price subject to change.

**Offer excludes the USA, South America and Australia.