In the Darkness of the Cinema

Gender and Moviegoing in Early Twentieth-Century Urban Brazil

Lena Suk, Lena Oak Suk

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN: 9780822992097
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

Gender and sexual morality, and their intersections with race and class, were central to the formation of urban Brazil in the twentieth century. In the Darkness of the Cinema takes a wide-ranging and innovative approach to gender and moviegoing culture in Brazilian society. By focusing on the flirtations and romances of the movie theater, as well as the intrigue and moral panic that they caused, Suk creates a rich portrait of spectatorship. Where women went to the movies, who they met, and what they did in the darkness were key questions that brewed among overlapping but disparate circles, from film intellectuals and filmmakers to legislators and public health officials, as well as the moviegoers themselves. Amassing sources located traditionally within film culture as well as outside of it, such as film magazines, interviews, comics, literature, and songs, Suk shows that movie theaters and moviegoers made an indelible mark on the urban landscapes of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• CONTENTS
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: A Night Out at the Movies
• 1. Melindrosas and Movie-Struck Girls in Brazilian Print Culture
• 2. Region and Race, Gender and Urbanization in Brazilian Silent Cinema
• 3. Making Cinemas Safe for Senhoras in 1920s Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
• 4. Class, Race, and Desire at the Movies
• 5. Dreams and Memories of a Respectable City
• Conclusion: Seductions in the Street and Gendered Visions of Urban Life
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Backcover Page