From the palace to home

Mutations in cinema and spectators following the life of Manuel Puig (1940-1990)

Abstract

This article reconstructs the trajectory of Manuel Puig’s cinephilia, from his early years as a regular moviegoer during the decades of 1930 and 1940 to his later transformation into a collector of videocassettes during the 1980s. Through an analysis of his novels and personal correspondence, the study explores the shifts in his relationship with cinema, set against the backdrop of the technological and cultural changes of the twentieth century. The research is situated at the intersection of the sociology of culture and the new cinema history, with a focus on the situated practices of spectators. Aspects such as the economic dimension of cinema access in different cities have been examined, as well the movie theater as a collective space, the impact of dubbing and subtitles on his cinephilic formation, and the increasing individualization of audiovisual consumption with the emergence of video. The study shows how Puig built an intimate and reflective relationship with cinema beyond entertainment becoming a continuous source of conversation, analysis, memory, and bringing together affects, knowledge, and personal archiving practices.