Melodrama is bound to a number of misconceptions regarding its origins, form and function. In their lecture “Melodrama Unbound”, Christine Gledhill (University of Sunderland) and Linda Williams (University of California, Berkeley) – editors of the anthology of the same name (2018) – focus on the shift in critical thinking from melodrama as a genre to melodrama as a mode, analysing what modality means and carving out the particulars of melodramatic modality. They will ask about ways of conceiving the trans-national travels of melodrama and the applicability of modality to cinemas across the world. They will conclude by raising questions about the significance of the worldwide prevalence of melodramatic modalities. Afterwards VÍCTIMAS DEL PECADO(Victims of Sin, Emilio Fernández, MEX 1951) will be screened. The Cinepoetics Lectures are organized by Cinepoetics—Center for Advanced Film Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. (cs/ks) (17.12.)
