European Cinema after 1989
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European Cinema after 1989 Cultural Identity and Transnational Production Luisa Rivi
ISBN 978-1-349-99952-1 DOI 10.1057/978-0230609280 ISBN 978-0-230-60928-0 (ebook) European Cinema after 1989: Cultural Identity and Transnational Production Copyright Luisa Rivi, 2007. Reprint of the original edition 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978-0-230-60024-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rivi, Luisa, 1958 European cinema after 1989: cultural identity and transnational production / by Luisa Rivi. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Motion pictures Europe History. I. Title. ISBN 978-0-230-60024-9 PN1993.5.E8R58 2007 791.43094 dc22 2007013922 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: November 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my father, the first Europeanist, and my mother. Per mio padre, il primo Europeista, e mia madre.
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CONTENTS List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction: For an Imperfect Europe 1 I Europeanism And and Its Discontents 11 1 The Political Discourse around the European Union: 13 A Supranational Europe 2 The Return of the Repressed: 39 European Cinema and the New Coproductions II In Search of Unlost Narratives 75 3 Nostalgia as a Weak Utopia for Europe 77 4 Underground and the Balkanization of History 91 III Odysseys 109 5 Postcolonial Europe 111 6 Toward a Global European Cinema 137 Notes 143 Bibliography 177 Index 189 ix xi
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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 No Man s Land: Ciki and Nino in the trench 69 Figure 2.2 No Man s Land: Cera on the bounding mine 71 Figure 3.1 Nostalghia: The Russian wife and the Italian translator 80 Figure 3.2 Nostalghia: Domenico on the equestrian statue 82 of Marcus Aurelius Figure 3.3 Nostalghia: Andrei and the Russian dacha inside 84 the Italian cathedral Figure 4.1 Underground: Marko, Nataljia, and Blacky at 96 Jovan s wedding, underground Figure 4.2 Underground: The island drifting away 104 Figure 5.1 Lamerica: Spiro-Michele and Gino: 117 The exodus from Albania Figure 5.2 Lamerica: The boat sailing for Italy 121 Figure 5.3 La promesse: Assita and Igor walking to the 124 railway station Figure 5.4 Code inconnu: The old French Arab, Anne, 127 and the young French Arab on the metro Figure 5.5 Caché: Majid, the Algerian immigrant, 131 and Georges, the French intellectual Figure 5.6 Caché: Majid: I wanted you to be present. 133
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I AM MOST INDEBTED TO GUIDO FINK, MARSHA KINDER, AND JON N. Wagner for inspiring me with their passion and intellectual dedication, thus urging me to undertake a path less traveled. My heartfelt thanks go to scholars and friends who have supported me in many different ways: Dajna Annese, Alice M. Bardan, Giuseppe Codeluppi, Loreta Coleman, Rossana Merli, Jerry D. Mosher, Danielle Muller, Aine O Healy, Jennifer Rodes, Margaret Rosenthal, and William Whittington. Grazie infinite to Rachel Bindman for reading through the manuscript and for her most incisive comments. I am deeply grateful to my sisters Lorenza and Lorella for timely providing me with a new laptop, after mine was stolen, thus enabling me to continue writing, and to my brother Sauro, for his loving impatience in teaching me how to use it. Finally, thanks to my students in Los Angeles for pushing me further.