In an age marked by tension and division, Americans of all ages and backgrounds have turned to film to escape the pressures of everyday life. Yet, beyond escapism, popular cinema is both a mirror and microscope for our collective psyche. Examining the films that have made billions of dollars through a new lens reveals that popular culture is a vital source for understanding what it means to be an American.
This book is divided into four sections, each associated with a different generation. Featuring such era-defining hits as Jaws, Back to the Future, Avatar, and The Avengers, each section presents detailed film analyses that showcase the consistency of certain American values throughout generations as well as the constant renegotiation of others. Ideal for any cinephile, The American Blockbuster demonstrates how complex and meaningful even the summer blockbuster can be.
Author(s): Benjamin Crace
Publisher: Greenwood
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 335
City: Santa Barbara
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
List of Figures
Preface
Introduction
Section 1: Thematic Essays
The Socialization Process: How Films Define Generational Consciousness
Capitalism and the Film Industry: Creating and Distributing Cinema in the Age of Television
The American Myth Machine: Film as a National Visual Literature
American Religiosity in the Age of Entertainment: Hollywood and American Values
Section 2: Boomers Make the Blockbuster (1975–1982)
Alien
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
The Exorcist
Grease
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jaws
Kramer vs. Kramer
9 to 5
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rocky
Star Wars: A New Hope
Superman
Tootsie
Section 3: Xers on a Quest for Identity and Belonging (1983–1998)
Back to the Future
Batman
Beauty and the Beast
Beverly Hills Cop
Forrest Gump
Ghostbusters
Home Alone
Independence Day
Jurassic Park
The Lion King
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Titanic
Top Gun
Toy Story
Section 4: Millennials and the American Myth Machine (1999–2009)
Avatar
The Dark Knight
The Fast and the Furious
Finding Nemo
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Iron Man
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Matrix
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Shrek
Spider-Man
Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace
Transformers
Twilight
X-Men
Section 5: Gen Z Finds Its Heroes (2010–)
The Avengers
Black Panther
The Dark Knight Rises
Despicable Me
Fast and Furious 7
Frozen
The Hunger Games
Inception
Joker
Skyfall
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Wonder Woman
Zootopia
Bibliography
About the Editor and Contributors
Index
