Humor in Middle Eastern cinema /

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Imprint:Detroit : Wayne State University Press, [2014]
©2014
Description:vi, 282 pages ; 23 cm.
Language:English
Series:Contemporary approaches to film and media series
Contemporary approaches to film and media series.
Subject:Motion pictures -- Middle East -- History.
Wit and humor in motion pictures.
Motion pictures.
Wit and humor in motion pictures.
Middle East.
History.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10116690
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Devi, Gayatri, 1966- editor.
Rahman, Najat, editor.
ISBN:9780814339374 (paperback)
0814339379 (paperback)
9780814339381 (ebook)
0814339387 (ebook)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-255) and index.
Includes filmography (pages 257-258).
Summary:While Middle Eastern culture does not tend to be associated with laughter and levity in the global imagination, humor--often satirical--has long been a staple of mainstream Arabic film. In Humor in Middle Eastern Cinema, editors Gayatri Devi and Najat Rahman shed light on this tradition, as well as humor and laughter motivated by other intent--including parody, irony, the absurd, burlesque, and dark comedy. Contributors trace the proliferation of humor in contemporary Middle Eastern cinema in the works of individual directors and from the perspectives of genre, national cinemas, and diasporic cinema.--Provided by publisher.
Description
Summary:While Middle Eastern culture does not tend to be associated with laughter and levity in the global imagination, humor - often satirical - has long been a mainstay of mainstream Arabic film. In Humor in Middle Eastern Cinema, editors Gayatri Devi and Najat Rahman shed light on this tradition, as well as humor and laughter motivated by other intent - including parody, irony, the absurd, burlesque, and dark comedy. Contributors trace the proliferation of humor in contemporary Middle Eastern cinema in the works of individual directors and also from the perspectives of genre, national cinemas, and diasporic cinema.<br> <br> Humor in Middle Eastern Cinema explores what humor theorists have identified as an ""emancipatory,"" ""liberatory,"" even ""revolutionary"" function to humor. Among the questions contributors ask are: How does Middle Eastern cinema and media highlight the stakes and place of humor in art and in life? What is its relation to the political? Can humor in cinematic art be emancipatory? What are its limits for its intervention or transformation? Contributors examine the region's masterful auteurs, such as Abbas Kiarostami, Youssef Chahine, and Elia Suleiman and cover a range of cinematic settings, including Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey. They also trace diasporic issues in the distinctive cinema of India and Pakistan.<br> <br> This insightful collection will introduce readers to a variety of contemporary Middle Eastern cinema that has attracted little critical notice. Scholars of cinema and media studies as well as Middle Eastern cultural history will appreciate this introduction to a complex and fascinating cinema.<br> <br> Contributors Include: Perin Gurel, Cyrus Ali Zargar, Elise Burton, Somy Kim, Najat Rahman, Mara Matta, Gayatri Devi, Robert Lang
Physical Description:vi, 282 pages ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-255) and index.
Includes filmography (pages 257-258).
ISBN:9780814339374 (paperback)
0814339379 (paperback)
9780814339381 (ebook)
0814339387 (ebook)