Contemporary American Cinema

by Williams, Linda Ruth; Hammond, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780335218318
• ISBN10: 0335218318
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-01
• Publisher: Open Univ Pr

Summary

Contemporary American Cinema is the first comprehensive introduction to American cinema post-1960. The book is unique in its treatment of Hollywood, alternative and non-mainstream cinema. Critical essays from leading film scholars are supplemented by boxed profiles of key directors, producers and actors; key films and key genres; and statistics from the cinema industry. Designed especially for courses in cinema studies and film studies, cultural studies and American studies, the book features a glossary of key terms, fully referenced resources and suggestions for further reading, questions for class discussion, and a comprehensive filmography. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Linda Ruth Williams and Michael Hammond are senior lecturers in film at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Introduction the whats, hows and whys of this book

The 1960s
1: Introduction
2: The American New Wave, Part 1: 1967-1970
3: Debts Disasters and Mega-movies the studios in the 1960s
4: Other Americas: The underground, exploitation and the avant garde
5: U.S Documentary Cinema in the 1960s
6. `The Last Good Time We Ever Had`?: Revising the Hollywood Renaissance

Suggested Further Reading

Essay Questions

The 1970s
1: Introduction
2: The American New Wave, Part 2: 1970-1975
3: New Hollywood and the Rise of the Blockbuster
4: Blaxploitation
5: U.S. Documentary in the 1970s

Suggested Further Reading

Essay Questions

The 1980s
1: Introduction
2: Film in the age of Reagan: action cinema and reactionary politics
3: Independent Cinema since the 1980s
4: Disney and the Family Adventure movie since the 1970s
5: The Vietnam War in American Cinema
6: U.S. Documentary in the 1980s Suggested Further Reading Essay Questions

The 1990s and beyond
1: Introduction:
2: Big Budget Spectacles
3: What is Cinema Today? Home Viewing and New Technologies
4: U.S. Documentary in the 1970s
5: New Queer Cinema
6: Fantasising Gender and Race: Women in Contemporary U.S. Action Cinema
7: Smart Cinema Suggested Further Reading Essay Questions Glossary Bibliography Filmography Index