In line with the interdisciplinary spirit of MAGMAX, the cinematography linked to the Earth sciences and, in particular, to the mineral and mining world, is well documented. The MAGMAX film library includes over 400 titles which, in a more or less explicit way and at different levels of relevance, contain entire narratives or simple references to the themes of mining, geological setting, research and exploration of mineral raw materials, of scientific discoveries in the chemical-mineralogical field or that deal directly with specific mineralogical species, gems or rocks.
The film genres are all worthily represented in the various eras of the history of cinema: ADVENTURE from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) adapted from the novel by Jules Verne to Blood diamond (2006) with Leonardo Di Caprio; COMEDY: from Ace in the Hole (1951) from Billy Wilder with Kirk Douglas to Flawless (2007) with Demi Moore and Michael Caine; ANIMATION: from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) by Walt Disney to Princess Mononoke (1997) by Hayao Miyazaki; Science Fiction: from The Monolith Monster (1957) by John Sherwood to The core (2003) by Jon Amiel; PARODY: from The Gold Rush (1925) by Charlie Chaplin to The Pink Panther 2 (2009) with Steve Martin and Jean Reno; DOCUMENTARY: from Marcinelle (1976) to Blood in the mobile (2010); HISTORICAL: from Der Kaiser von Kalifornien(1936) by Luis Trenker to The 33 (2015) with Antonio Banderas; THRILLER: from The Moonstone (1972) by Anton Giulio Mayano to Diamonds (2009) by Andy Wilson; WESTERN: from Garden of Evil (1954) with Gary Cooper to Sisters brothers (2018) by Jaques Audiard.
The MineralMovies column periodically proposes the cinematic analysis of a film from the MAGMAX film library, possibly accompanied by appropriate scientific and technical observations in the mineralogical field.
The analysis will not be excessively technical or with claims of completeness, but rather a relaxed journey through the artistic, philosophical and social suggestions of the films, also daring parallels and connections with apparently distant disciplinary worlds. However, there will be no evaluative judgments, always preferring the analysis of emerging issues rather than the aesthetic value of the film itself.
The pre-reading vision is strongly recommended as the films will often be analyzed also in their plot aspects and their ending will not infrequently be the starting point of the analysis.
Cinematographic technical observations, productive anecdotes and historical contextualizations will be present when useful for the exploration of concepts and narrative nodes.
