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Emulating the style of directors John Ford, Howard Hawks and Henry
Hathaway, the Hollywood Western in its heyday of the 1930s through
the 1950s reflected a grand patriotism. Then, it was ripe for
revision in the turbulent 1960s. Directors like Sam Peckinpah,
George Roy Hill, John Schlesinger and Dennis Hopper retooled the
genre as a cultural commentary on America's involvement in Vietnam
and the culture clash on American campuses. Between the mid-1970s
and the turn of 21st century, the Western lost favor with the
movie-going public. A few directors would briefly return the genre
to its former glory, such as Kevin Costner with Dances with Wolves
(1990) and Clint Eastwood with Unforgiven (1992). Yet for the most
part the Western was revisited for comedic purposes in such films
as Blazing Saddles (1974) and City Slickers (1991). Since 9/11, the
Western has made a remarkable comeback, blending its original
patriotic narrative with critical commentary on America's place in
the global community. This collection of new essays explores how
the genre today captures the spirit of our times, and explains why
Americans return to the Western in times of crisis.
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The 1980s (Hardcover)
Bob Batchelor, Scott F Stoddart
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R1,894
Discovery Miles 18 940
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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The eighties are seen by many as a time of excess and extremes.
From Boy George to Madonna, metal heads to valley girls, and
workout clothes to shoulder pads, many pushed the boundaries of
what was was conventional. After a decade of war, disillusionment
of the government, advances in civil rights, and disco, Americans
became status seekers and shopaholics and the "Me" generation was
born. Twelve narrative chapters describe the decade of decedence
and its impact on popular culture including: the AIDS epidemic,
preppies, Miami Vice, the Rubik's Cube, E.T., hair bands, the
advent of the personal computer, malls, Ronald Reagan, Pac-Man,
Cheers, Stephen King, Michael Jackson, the shuttle Challenger
explosion, Bonfire of the Vanities, music videos, Roseanne, the
power suit, Less Than Zero, rap music, and The Cosby Show, among
many others. Chapters on "Everyday America" and the "World of
Youth" describe the important changes in American society, from
Ronald Reagan's "War on Drugs," to latch-key kids, to Black Monday.
The following ten chapters explore the many aspects of popular
culture-everything from advertising to fashion, literature to
music, travel to the visual arts-that influenced Americans in the
eighties. Supplemental resources include a timeline of important
events, an extensive bibliography for further reading and a subject
index.
The BBC television series Downton Abbey (2010-2016) developed and
produced by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes, became a cultural
barometer with American viewers harkening back to the days when
televised serial dramas ruled the airwaves. The series finale was
one of the most-watched in television history. Exploring Downton
Abbey is a collection of scholarly essays, written by both British
and American scholars, that interrogate this cultural
phenomenon-the essays challenge readers to explore how and why this
British television serial about life upstairs and downstairs in a
British, turn-of-the-century manor home resonates with American
audiences, focusing on topics as diverse as the role of the house
(Highclere Castle) in literature and film; the changing roles of
women and the servant class; the influence of jazz and fashion; and
the attitudes toward education and the class system within the
series.
Throughout its limited run beginning in 2014, the HBO series True
Detective has presented viewers with unique takes on the American
crime drama on television, marked by literary and cinematic
influences, heavyweight performances, and an experimental approach
to the genre. At times celebrated and opposed, the series has
ignited a range of ongoing critical conversations about
representations of gender, depictions of place, and narrative
forms. True Detective: Critical Essays on the HBO Series includes a
breadth of scholarly chapters that cross disciplinary boundaries,
interrogate a range of topics, and ultimately promise to further
contribute to critical debates surrounding the series.
AMC's episodic drama Mad Men has become a cultural phenomenon,
detailing America's preoccupation with commercialism and image in
the Camelot of 1960s Kennedy-era America, while self-consciously
exploring current preoccupations. The 12 critical essays in this
collection offer a broad, interdisciplinary approach to this highly
relevant television show, examining Mad Men as a cultural barometer
for contemporary concerns with consumerism, capitalism and sexism.
Topics covered include New Historicist parallels between the 1960s
and the present day, psychoanalytical approaches to the show, the
self as commodity, and the "Age of Camelot" as an "Age of Anxiety,"
among others. A detailed cast list and episode guide are included.
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