UP CINEMA: Some links between the first film projections and the idea of progress in Latin America (1896-1900)

Abstract

Although many film histories narrate the arrival of this spectacle to our lands, very few workon historical address how the local public responds to the emergence of this phenomenon. Latin America is in full reception of modernity and cinema arrives as an element to designate the advancement of technology in the region, but also brought with it the mess, the magic, the guachafa. Implement order to achieve progress is a cardinal idea of positivism and civility,a fundamental principle to regulate social life and build the republic. The following lines disclose some aspects of how the film is linked with the ideas of progress in Latin America and how to get ahead.