This book examines 13 movies that deal with the protagonist and his projected ""other"". The cinematic Other is interpreted as an unconscious personality, a denied part of the protagonist that appears in his life as a shadowy menace who won't go away. Devoting a chapter to each movie, the book starts with Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and three cinematic pairs: two Hitchcock films, Shadow of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train; two versions of Cape Fear, J. Lee Thompson's 1962 original and Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake; and a pair of Clint Eastwood films, In the Line of Fire and Blood Work. The book then examines Something Wild, Sea of Love, Fight Club, Desperately Seeking Susan, Apocalypse Now and The Lives of Others. The book overall aims to show how movies envision the unconscious Other we all too often project on other people.

Popular American films are replete with story lines which involve the father-son relationship, often as the pivotal conflict or dragon which a hero must overcome to achieve success. Sometimes these conflicts are straightforward; other times they are projections of the central character's unconscious becoming conscious - in essence a modern form of myth.These American 'filmmyths' serve as a visual means to project the psyche in an entertaining and easily accessible manner. Focusing on mythic structure, this volume explores twelve popular movies that deal with various aspects of the father-son relationship including the process of becoming a father, absent fathers, the rite of passage, and the turmoil between fathers and adolescents. The films examined include ""The Wizard of Oz"", ""Back to the Future"", ""Stand By Me"", ""Red River"", ""City Slickers"", ""North by Northwest"", ""E.T. the Extraterrestrial"", ""Field of Dreams"", ""Lone Star"", ""The Lion King"", ""Jurassic Park"" and ""The Searchers"".