Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Early cinema attractions; 2. National history as retrospective illusion; 3. Challenging the folklore romance; 4. Comedy and the cinematic machine; 5. The urban landscape, before and after Neorealism; 6. Gramsci and Italian cinema; 7. History and the Italian Western; 8. The cinematic family and the nation; 9. A cinema of childhood; 10. The Folklore of femininity and stardom; 11. Conversion, impersonation, and masculinity; 12. Cinema on cinema and television.

Promotional Information

Examines the extraordinary cinematic tradition of Italy, from the silent era to the present.