Third Cinema: Why Third?
• Geopolitical: Cinema representing the “Third World”:
– During the Cold War, nations were divided into three camps:
• The “First” World: The U.S. and those countries aligned with the U.S. and
with capitalism
• The “Second” World: Those countries aligned with the Soviet Union and
with communism
• The “Third” World: Formerly colonized nations (particularly in Latin
America, Asia, and Africa) that weren’t aligned with either
• Aesthetic: A “Third” Style of Cinema
– First Cinema: Commercial Cinema
• Cinema designed to distract, entertain, and make $$$
• First Cinema Capital: Hollywood
• i.e., Singin in the Rain
– Second Cinema: “Art” Cinema
• Cinema designed as a vehicle for personal expression
• Second Cinema Capital: France & Italy
• i.e., Fellini’s 8½
Qualities of Third Cinema
•
Thematic:
– Documents anti-colonial struggle
– Depicts poverty, everyday life
– Conflict between traditional ways of life
and modernity
– Complex relationship between colonizer
and colonized
– Uncertainty about post-colonial future
•
Political:
– Resists colonial and neo-colonial power
– Sees cinema as a means of fighting
against oppression
– Critiques social and economic inequalities
– Aims to inspire the spectator to fight for
change
– Critiques both internal and external forces
of oppression
Aesthetics of Third Cinema
• Influence of Soviet Montage
– Desire to provoke political thought:
• A+B=Z
• Influence of Neorealism/New Wave
– Handheld cameras, Location Shooting,
Natural Light, Long Takes, Nonprofessional
Actors, Direct Sound
– Ambiguous spatial and temporal leaps
– Underplayed Dramatic Moments and Anticlimaxes . . . No three-act structure
• Juxtaposition of Different Registers:
– Myth blends with History
– Dreams blend with Documentary
Reality (often incorporating news
footage)
– Consumer Culture blends with Folklore
Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino:
“Towards a Third Cinema”
• The man of the third cinema . . . above all counters the film
industry of a cinema of characters with one of themes, that of
individuals with that of masses, that of the author with that of
the operative group, one of neocolonial misinformation with
one of information, one of escape with one that recaptures the
truth, that of passivity with that of aggressions.
• To an institutionalized cinema, it counterposes a guerrilla
cinema; to movies as shows, it opposes a film act or action; to
a cinema of destruction, one that is both destructive and
constructive; to a cinema made for the old kind of human
being, for them, it opposes a cinema fit for a new kind of
human being, for what each one of us has the possibility of
becoming.
Key Examples of Third Cinema
• From Latin America:
– Black God, White Devil (1964); Glauber
Rocha (Brazil)
– The Hour of the Furnaces (1968); Solanas
and Getino (Argentina)
– Memories of Underdevelopment (1968);
Tomas Gutierrez Alea (Cuba)
• From Africa:
– Black Girl (1965); Ousmane Sembene
(Senegal)
– The Battle of Algiers (1966); Gillo
Pontecorvo (Algeria)
– Soleil O (1967); Med Hondo (Mauritania)
– Touki Bouki (1973); Djibril Mambety
(Senegal)
• From Asia:
– Perfumed Nightmare (1977); Kidlat Tahimik
(Philippines)
– In Search of Famine (1981); Mrinal Sen
(India)
Context: Perfumed Nightmare
• History of the Philippines:
– Pre-Hispanic Era: Trade w/
China, Arab World (Islam)
– Spanish Colonization (1500s
to 1898)
• San Juan del Monte Bridge
Incident (1898) and PhilippineAmerican War
– American Control (1898 to
1946)
– Post-Colonial Independence
(1946 to Present)
• Marcos Dictatorship (1965 –
1986)
• Bonus: Werner von Braun:
– A Nazi who helped build the
U.S. space program
Questions to Consider
• Quiz Questions:
– 1. What is this film about – what is its story?
– 2. What makes this film an example of “Third Cinema”?
– 3. Describe one scene in which the editing seemed
significant to you. Describe the editing, and explain
how it influenced your interpretation of the scene.
– 4. Describe your personal response to the film, and
give reasons to explain why you responded that way.