American Film History: Selected Readings, 1960 to the Present

516 Pages·2015·6.77 MB·English

by  Cynthia Lucia

American Film History
The Editors
CynthiaLuciaisProfessorofEnglishandDirectorofFilmandMediaStudiesatRiderUniversity.Sheisauthor
ofFramingFemaleLawyers:WomenonTrialinFilm(2005)andwritesforCineastefilmmagazine,whereshehas
servedontheeditorialboardformorethantwodecades.Hermostrecentresearchincludesessaysthatappearin
ACompaniontoWoodyAllen(Wiley-Blackwell,2013),ModernBritishDramaonScreen(2014),andLaw,Culture
andVisualStudies(2014).
RoyGrundmannisAssociateProfessorofFilmStudiesatBostonUniversity.HeistheauthorofAndyWarhol’s
BlowJob(2003)andtheeditorofACompaniontoMichaelHaneke(Wiley-Blackwell,2010).HeisContributing
Editor of Cineaste and has published essays in a range of prestigious anthologies and journals, including GLQ,
Cineaste,Continuum,TheVelvetLightTrap,andMillenniumFilmJournal.HehascuratedretrospectivesonMichael
Haneke,AndyWarhol,andMatthiasMu¨ller.
Art Simon is Professor of Film Studies at Montclair State University. He is the author of Dangerous Knowl-
edge: The JFK Assassination in Art and Film (2nd edition, 2013). He has curated two film exhibitions for the
Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York City and his work has been published in the edited collection
“Un-American”Hollywood:PoliticsandFilmintheBlacklistEra(2007)andinthejournalAmericanJewishHistory.
Togethertheyaretheeditorsofthefour-volumecollectionTheWiley-BlackwellHistoryofAmericanFilm(2012)
andAmericanFilmHistory:SelectedReadings,Originsto1960(2016),bothpublishedbyWiley-Blackwell.
American Film History
Selected Readings, 1960 to the Present
Edited by
Cynthia Lucia, Roy Grundmann, and Art Simon
Thiseditionfirstpublished2016
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Coverimage:Top:JonVoightandDustinHoffmaninMidnightCowboy,1969(dir.JohnSchlesinger),photo:United
Artists/TheKobalCollection.Bottom:JohnTurturroandSpikeLeeinDotheRightThing,1989(dir.SpikeLee),
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1 2016
Contents
Volume II: 1960 to the Present
Acknowledgments xii
Preface xiii
Part I 1960–1975
1 SettingtheStage:AmericanFilmHistory,1960–1975 3
Notes 21
References 21
2 AdultsOnly:Low-BudgetExploitation 23
EricSchaefer
Note 35
References 35
3 BlackRepresentationinIndependentCinema:FromCivilRightstoBlackPower 37
AlexLykidis
Notes 52
References 54
4 CinemaDirectandIndirect:AmericanDocumentary,1960–1975 56
CharlesWarren
Notes 70
References 70
5 ComedyandtheDismantlingoftheHollywoodWestern 72
TeresaPodlesney
Note 86
References 86
6 TheNewHollywood 87
DerekNystrom
Notes 103
References 103
7 “OneBigLousyX”:TheCinemaofUrbanCrisis 105
ArtSimon
References 118
8 Nashville:PuttingontheShow:Or,Paradoxesofthe“Instant”andthe“Moment” 120
ThomasElsaesser
Notes 131
References 132
vi CONTENTS
9 CinemaandtheAgeofTelevision,1946–1975 134
MicheleHilmes
Notes 146
References 146
Part II 1976–1990
10 SettingtheStage:AmericanFilmHistory,1976–1990 151
Notes 173
References 173
11 SeismicShiftsintheAmericanFilmIndustry 175
ThomasSchatz
Notes 188
References 188
12 IndependentFilm:1980stothePresent 190
GeoffKing
References 204
13 ReclaimingtheBlackFamily:CharlesBurnett,JulieDash,andthe“L.A.Rebellion” 205
JanetK.Cutler
Notes 218
References 221
14 Feminism,Cinema,andFilmCriticism 223
LucyFischer
References 238
15 AmericanAvant-GardeCinemafrom1970tothePresent 241
ScottMacDonald
Note 258
References 258
16 AReintroductiontotheAmericanHorrorFilm 259
AdamLowenstein
Note 274
References 274
17 BacktotheFuture:HollywoodandReagan’sAmerica 275
SusanJeffords
References 285
18 “Stayin’Alive”:ThePost-StudioHollywoodMusical 286
KarenBackstein
Notes 301
References 302
CONTENTS vii
Part III 1991 to the Present
19 SettingtheStage:AmericanFilmHistory,1991tothePresent 307
Notes 329
References 329
20 TheQueer1990s:TheChallengeandFailureofRadicalChange 330
MichaelBronski
Notes 344
References 346
21 24/7:CableTelevision,Hollywood,andtheNarrativeFeatureFilm 347
BarbaraKlinger
Notes 360
References 360
22 PlasmaticsandPrisons:TheMorphandtheSpectacularEmergenceofCGI 362
KristenWhissel
References 375
23 MainstreamDocumentarysince1999 376
PatriciaAufderheide
References 391
24 TruthinessIsStrangerthanFictition:The“NewBiopic” 393
MichaelSicinski
Notes 407
25 “Asia”asGlobalHollywoodCommodity 408
KennethChan
Notes 421
References 422
26 TheBlockbusterSuperhero 423
BartBeaty
Notes 437
References 437
27 LimitedEngagement:TheIraqWaronFilm 438
SusanL.Carruthers
Notes 453
References 453
28 TheBiggestIndependentPicturesEverMade:IndustrialReflexivityToday 454
J.D.Connor
Notes 468
References 469
viii CONTENTS
29 WritingAmericanFilmHistory 471
RobertSklar
References 481
Index 483
Also available as part of this series
Volume I: Origins to 1960
Acknowledgments xii
Preface xiii
Part I Origins to 1928
1 SettingtheStage:AmericanFilmHistory,Originsto1928 3
References 16
2 D.W.GriffithandtheDevelopmentofAmericanNarrativeCinema 18
CharlieKeil
Notes 34
References 34
3 WomenandtheSilentScreen 36
ShelleyStamp
References 51
4 African-AmericansandSilentFilms 54
PaulaJ.Massood
Notes 68
References 68
5 ChaplinandSilentFilmComedy 70
CharlesJ.Maland
References 84
6 ErichvonStroheimandCecilB.DeMille:EarlyHollywoodandtheDiscourse
ofDirectorial“Genius” 85
GaylynStudlar
Notes 97
References 97
7 TheStarSystem 99
MarkLynnAnderson
Notes 112
References 113
8 SynchronizedSoundComestotheCinema 115
PaulYoung
Notes 128
References 129