American Film History: Selected Readings, 1960 to the Present

American Film History......Page 3
The Editors......Page 4
Contents......Page 7
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Preface......Page 15
 Notes......Page 16
Part I 1960–1975......Page 19
  Film Industry Decline and Transformation......Page 21
  Cold War Anxiety......Page 22
  Gender Roles and Sexual Mores in Early 1960s Hollywood......Page 23
  Gender, Race, and the American Family......Page 24
  The Family According to Alfred Hitchcock......Page 26
  The Star System in Transition......Page 27
  A New Immorality......Page 29
  The Avant-garde......Page 30
  Independent Fiction and Nonfiction Film......Page 33
  The New Hollywood......Page 34
  Ethnic Heroes and Independent Women......Page 37
  References......Page 39
 2 Adults Only......Page 41
  AIP and Teenpic Exploitation......Page 42
  Adults-Only Exploitation Films......Page 46
  References......Page 53
 3 Black Representation in Independent Cinema......Page 55
  Integrationism......Page 58
  Community......Page 60
  Violence......Page 62
  Freedom......Page 66
  Conclusion......Page 69
  Notes......Page 70
  References......Page 72
 4 Cinema Direct and Indirect......Page 74
  Drew Associates......Page 75
  Maysles, Pennebaker, and Leacock......Page 78
  Wiseman and Other Developments......Page 85
  References......Page 88
 5 Comedy and the Dismantling of the Hollywood Western......Page 90
  How the West Was Won and Westerns on TV......Page 93
  Cat Ballou and the Drunken Hero......Page 95
  The Good Guys and the Bad Guys and the Aging Hero......Page 99
  Sex and Masculinity in Paint Your Wagon......Page 100
  Conclusion......Page 103
  References......Page 104
 6 The New Hollywood......Page 105
  Changes in the Film Industry......Page 107
  A New Audience and a New Relationship to Cinema......Page 108
  A Directors’ Cinema......Page 110
  Easy Rider, New Hollywood Style, and the Unmotivated Hero......Page 113
  The New Hollywoods Class Performance......Page 116
  Genre Revision and The Conversation......Page 117
  The End of the (First) New Hollywood......Page 120
  References......Page 121
 7 “One Big Lousy X”......Page 123
  Hollywood Renaissance......Page 124
  The City in Decline......Page 125
  Midnight Cowboy......Page 127
  Immigrant City......Page 129
  The Cowboy in New York......Page 130
  The Crisis and Black New York......Page 131
  The Urban Road Film......Page 133
  Conclusion......Page 135
  References......Page 136
  The Loser as Winner......Page 138
  Putting on the Show......Page 139
  Nashville as the Stage for a Family Melodrama......Page 140
  Altmans Mise-en-Scène......Page 142
  A History of the Present: One-Dimensionality, Flatness, and the Spaces in Between......Page 145
  Nashville and Vanitas: Country Musics Funereal Baroque......Page 148
  Notes......Page 149
  References......Page 150
 9 Cinema and the Age of Television, 1946–1975......Page 152
  Transitions......Page 153
  A Maturing Relationship......Page 159
  Struggles for Control......Page 162
  References......Page 164
Part II 1976–1990......Page 167
 10 Setting the Stage......Page 169
  Industry and Economics......Page 170
  The Return of Vertical Integration......Page 171
  Genre Cinema and Its Audiences – Trends and Cycles......Page 172
  A Cinema of Spectacle......Page 173
  Oedipus in a Time Machine......Page 175
  Stars......Page 176
  A Socially Engaged Cinema......Page 177
  Writer-Directors and Other Auteurs......Page 180
  Women in Hollywood......Page 182
  Gay and Lesbian Representation and Queer Cinema......Page 183
  Independent Film......Page 184
  Avant-garde Cinema......Page 187
  Documentary......Page 189
  References......Page 191
 11 Seismic Shifts in the American Film Industry......Page 193
  Recovery (1976–1988)......Page 194
  Resurgence (1989–1998)......Page 198
  Reintegration and Retrenchment (1999–)......Page 202
  References......Page 206
 12 Independent Film......Page 208
  Breakthrough and Consolidation: The Development of the “Indie” Recipe......Page 210
   Case Study: Clerks (Kevin Smith, 1994)......Page 213
  Crossing over (and Selling out?): Expansion, Incorporation, and the Blurring of Lines......Page 214
   Case Study: Sideways......Page 217
  Still Indie after All These Years: “Mumblecore” and Other Lower-Budget Productions......Page 218
   Case Study: Primer......Page 221
  References......Page 222
 13 Reclaiming the Black Family......Page 223
  Killer of Sheep: Redeeming the Everyday......Page 225
  Daughters of the Dust: Imagining History......Page 231
  Notes......Page 236
  References......Page 239
  Second Wave Feminism: The Context......Page 241
  Feminist Film Criticism and History: Images of Women......Page 242
  Feminist Film Criticism and History: Female Film Practitioners......Page 244
  Feminist Film Criticism and History: Feminist Film Theory......Page 246
  Feminist Documentaries......Page 249
  Feminist Experimental Cinema......Page 250
  Womens Independent and Commercial Cinema......Page 252
  Womens Cinema: Trickle-Down Feminism......Page 255
  References......Page 256
 15 American Avant-Garde Cinema from 1970 to the Present......Page 259
  New Feminisms......Page 262
  Ethnic Cinemas......Page 264
  New Engagements with the Personal......Page 267
  Recycled Cinema......Page 268
  Home-Made Cinema and the Microcinema Movement......Page 271
  Perceptual Retraining......Page 273
  References......Page 276
 16 A Reintroduction to the American Horror Film......Page 277
  “An Introduction to the American Horror Film”......Page 278
  The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Omen......Page 279
  The Slasher Film......Page 285
  Halloween and Spectacle Horror......Page 286
  Conclusion......Page 291
  References......Page 292
 17 Back to the Future......Page 293
  Reagan Era Hollywood and the Battle of Good versus Evil......Page 294
  Star Wars: Securing the Sons Future through the Past......Page 295
  Back to the Future: Restoring the Fathers “Rightful” Place in the Present......Page 296
  Know Thy Father, Find Thyself, and Save the World......Page 301
  Time and the Triumph over Evil......Page 302
  References......Page 303
  Overture: The Studio System Fades......Page 304
  From Stage to Screen: The Show Musical......Page 308
  Cabaret and Chicago: Fosse redefining and redefined......Page 310
  Musicals in the Age of Postmodernism......Page 312
  One from the Heart: Its Only a Paper Moon......Page 314
  Gotta Dance: The Dance Film (or: You Should be Dancing, Yeah)......Page 315
  Notes......Page 319
  References......Page 320
Part III 1991 to the Present......Page 323
 19 Setting the Stage......Page 325
  Independents in a Changing Industry......Page 327
  A New Auteur Cinema......Page 329
  Female Directors in Hollywood......Page 332
  Black Filmmakers in Hollywood......Page 333
  Hollywood in the New Millennium......Page 335
  The Meaning of Movies: Universalizing Content for the Global Market......Page 337
  Competing Screens and (not so) New Ways of Seeing......Page 338
  Independent Film......Page 340
  Non-fiction and the Avant-garde......Page 342
  American Film in the Twenty-first Century......Page 345
  References......Page 347
 20 The Queer 1990s......Page 348
  Resistance......Page 349
  Reaffirmation......Page 354
  Regulation......Page 358
  Notes......Page 362
  References......Page 364
 21 24/7......Page 365
  Cable Television as Aftermarket......Page 366
  Production/Distribution......Page 372
  Conclusion......Page 377
  References......Page 378
 22 Plasmatics and Prisons......Page 380
  Prison Worlds and Liquid Metal......Page 382
  “Theyre guarding all the doors and holding all the keys”......Page 386
  Mutation and Morphological Becoming......Page 390
  References......Page 393
 23 Mainstream Documentary since 1999......Page 394
  Interrogating Reality......Page 401
  Moral Investigations......Page 403
  References......Page 409
  The “New Biopic” as Cultural Symptom......Page 411
  The Biopic as Prestige Object, and Other Alternatives......Page 413
  The “Old” Biopic in the US: A Brief History......Page 414
  The “Old” Biopic as a Critical Form: International Influences......Page 416
  The “New Biopic” as Recuperative Form: 1999–2008......Page 418
  Shards of History: Ali......Page 420
  Shards of Identity: Im Not There......Page 423
  Against the “Fictition” of “Truthiness”......Page 424
  Notes......Page 425
  Introduction......Page 426
  “Asia” as Ethnicity......Page 428
  “Asia” as Cinematic Smorgasbord......Page 429
  Slumdog Millionaire: Bollywood Bombast Meets Political Paternalism......Page 432
  The Karate Kid: Cross-Cultural Transmission......Page 436
  Notes......Page 439
  References......Page 440
 26 The Blockbuster Superhero......Page 441
  The Evolution of Batman from the 1940s to the 2000s......Page 444
  Narrative, Seriality, and Superhero Auteurism......Page 448
  The Fallen Superhero......Page 450
  Conclusion: From Market Synergies to Aesthetic Synergies......Page 452
  References......Page 455
 27 Limited Engagement......Page 456
  The Soldier as Cinematographer......Page 457
   Opening Shots: American Cinemas First Cycle of Violence......Page 460
  The Soldier as Perpetrator – and Victim......Page 463
  Operation Homecoming: The Veteran as Cipher......Page 465
  An Audience of One......Page 468
  References......Page 471
  Last of the Independents......Page 472
  Realms of Reflexivity......Page 474
  Bibliotechnologies......Page 476
  From Library to Reboot......Page 479
  Indy and the Indie......Page 483
  Notes......Page 486
  References......Page 487
 29 Writing American Film History......Page 489
  Early Film Histories, 1926–1939......Page 491
  From Kracauer to the 1960s......Page 494
  The 1970s: Formative Years of Academic Film History......Page 496
  Major Film History Projects......Page 497
  New Technologies, Awaiting New Paradigms......Page 498
  References......Page 499
Index......Page 501
EULA......Page 516