American Cinema of the 1980s

by Prince, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780813540344
• ISBN10: 0813540348
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-15
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

During the 1980s, American cinema underwent enormous transformations. Blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and The Empire Strikes Back grabbed huge revenues for the studios. At the same time, the growth of home video led to new and creative opportunities for independent film production, resulting in many of the decade's best films. Both large- and small-scale filmmakers responded to the social, political, and cultural conditions of the time. The two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan spawned a new Cold War with the Soviet Union, which Hollywood film both embraced and critiqued. Also during this time, Hollywood launched a long-awaited cycle of films about the Vietnam War, exploring its impact both at home and abroad. But science fiction remained the era's most popular genre, ranging from upbeat fantasies to dark, dystopic visions. Bringing together original essays by ten respected scholars in the field, American Cinema of the 1980s examines the films that marked the decade, including Ordinary People, Body Heat, Blade Runner, Zelig, Platoon, Top Gun, Aliens, Blue Velvet, Robocop, Fatal Attraction, Die Hard, Batman, and sex, lies & videotape .

Table of Contents

Timeline : the 1980s
Introduction : movies and the 1980s	p. 1
1980 : movies and the new woman	p. 22
1981 : movies and looking back to the future	p. 43
1982 : movies and other worlds	p. 63
1983 : movies and Reaganism	p. 82
1984 : movies and battles over Reaganite conservatism	p. 107
1985 : movies and political landscapes	p. 126
1986 : movies and fissures in Reagan's America	p. 145
1987 : movies and the closing of the Reagan era	p. 167
1988 : movies and images of reality	p. 188
1989 : movies and the American dream	p. 210
Select academy awards, 1980-1989	p. 233
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.