What is Counter Cinema?
In film study, there are a variety of potential genres and underlying theories by which a film may be represented. Many film theories are oppositional in nature while others are quite the opposite indeed. The idea of counter media provides representation for those less dominant topics leveraging resistance to the traditional norms of media in a dominant society, but what is counter cinema exactly?
What is Counter Cinema?
Counter cinema represents a movement toward the production of films that stand in direct opposition of mainstream Hollywood cinema depicting topics which resist traditional norms and ideological dominant views. Counter Cinema offers an alternative to mainstream cinema featuring a completely different means of representation as compared to mainstream Hollywood film.
By definition, Counter Cinema would appear to encompass a number of different genres and cinematic theories of film production. Particularly, the idea of feminist cinema, avant-garde, and event Third World Cinema as well as several other cinematic realms that go against the grain and represent topics and subjects which reflect alternative language to that of dominant society or dominant Hollywood could be considered that of Counter Cinematic expression.
The values of counter-cinema are those which are counter imposed or opposite of what would be considered orthodox cinema or traditional cinema. Thus a counter cinematic approach might be to examine topics that are otherwise considered against the grain, confrontational, or antagonistic in some ways.
The Origination of Counter Cinema
The theory of Counter Cinema dates back to the 1960s and continues to be a point of interest for theorists that are interested in examining films which go against the Hollywood norms of today’s society. Conventional Hollywood cinema largely focused on producing films which could be directed to a very specific audience. That audience was primarily white, average income, and predominantly from the middle class. Very little focus in cinematic production has been on targeting the cultures and values of the lower class, those from less dominant cultures and backgrounds, or those who predominantly fall within certain classes of society outside the dominant, stereotypical “norms” of society.
Coupled with various leftist movements and a focus on representing the underrepresented, Counter Cinema would rise above traditional Hollywood cinema during the rise of feminism, civil rights, and similar influences towards shifting thoughts and patterns regarding race, political views, cultural norms and society.
Many believe that Counter Cinema originated with the Third Cinema movement in film that was largely dominant in Latina America and focused on criticizing neoculturalism. It was in fact Third Cinema that gave rise to the inclusion of other forms of cinematic expression in the film industry, particularly to the representation of these less dominant views and areas of society at this time, but Counter Cinema would continue to gain popularity long after it was introduced in the 1960s.
