Book Smarts

Mexico City in Contemporary Mexican Cinema

University of Texas Press, 216pp., $21.95 (paper)

The allure of world-class cities has inspired filmmakers who sought to imbue their works with the spirit of these cities. Now, according to David William Foster, an Arizona State University professor, it's time to add Mexico City to the list of cities that have made their mark in cinematic history. Foster does not settle with Mexico City used as backdrop, but in how the city, with its complex past and present, reveals itself in his study of several select films.

Shaped into three broad themes -- "Politics of the City," "Human Geographies," and "Mapping Gender" -- Foster discusses 13 Mexican films produced within the last 30 years. The period roughly covers the late Sixties to the present, a time when contemporary Mexican cinema emerged, distinctively breaking with Mexico's golden age of filmmaking.

Included are films that received international attention and lesser-known films selected for their distinctive qualities. Though having seen the discussed films is a plus, Foster's well-crafted descriptions offer just enough information to give readers their bearings. Mexico City in Contemporary Mexican Cinema is a scholarly book, written with an academic's eye for detail the average moviegoer may not consider. How the impaling of Frida Kahlo in Frida: Naturaleza Viva is a symbolic invasion of urban life on the body (urban life equaling modernity, modernity being a predominately male construct) may induce eye-rolling in some readers. Still, Foster's observations challenge readers to be active viewers of all film. Students of Mexican cinema and those curious about the included films receive a passionately delivered lesson from Foster.