This is the first comprehensive study of magic realism in cinema. Cinemagic realism deserves close examination because of its extensive presence and its power to combine aesthetic sophistication with political critique. The work traces magic realism from the criticism of pictorial art of early 20th- century Germany, through Latin American literature, to the recent US scholarly formulations. In studying magic realism as a cross-cultural and cross-medial phenomenon, the book conceptualizes trickster aesthetics that are applied in the analysis of films: Time of the Gypsies (Yugoslavia), Being John Malkovich (USA), and Run Lola Run (Germany), which jubilantly practice the magic of their medium. "Imaginative, extensively researched, and philosophically rewarding, this work will appeal not only to film, media studies, and literary scholars but also to a wide range of readers," Susan Linville, U of Colorado. "CINEMAGIC is a very perceptive and original 'must read' study with a strong cross-cultural base," Andrew Horton, U of Oklahoma. "Popovich's daring book vitally positions 'cinemagic realism' at the very core of world cinema," Frederick L. Aldama, Ohio State U.