ABSTRACT
The growing availability of digitized newspapers and magazines, along with the rediscovery, restoration, and video/digital release of silent and early sound films, has opened up new avenues for exploring cinema's profound impact in early twentieth-century Latin America. Recuperating histories of production took on particular urgency in the case of the silent and early sound eras, given the dismal survival rate for Latin American films produced in the absence of self-sustaining industries or government policies to foster preservation. Beyond overtly nationalistic themes, Latin American silent cinema displayed and affirmed emerging urban modernity, often in counterpoint to rural life. The "delayed" circulation of imported films also proved generative for filmmaking outside major cities across Latin America. Early Latin American sound films capitalized on the continent-wide popularity of musical genres increasingly viewed as embodying national identity: the Argentine tango, Brazilian samba, and Mexican ranchera.
