Dimensions
152 x 229 x 15mm
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org.
In this book, Deborah A. Starr recuperates the work of Togo Mizrahi, a pioneer of Egyptian cinema. Mizrahi, an Egyptian Jew with Italian nationality, established himself as a prolific director of popular comedies and musicals in the 1930s and 1940s. As a studio owner and producer, Mizrahi promoted the idea that developing a local cinema industry was a project of national importance. Togo Mizrahi and the Making of Egyptian Cinema integrates film analysis with film history to tease out the cultural and political implications of Mizrahiisquo;s work. His movies, Starr argues, subvert dominant notions of race, gender, and nationality through their playfultdash;and queeridash;use of masquerade and mistaken identity. Taken together, Mizrahissquo;s films offer a hopeful vision of a pluralist Egypt. By reevaluating Mizrahi squo;s contributions to Egyptian culture, Starr challenges readers to reconsider the debates over who is Egyptian and what constitutes national cinema.
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