New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction

What is "New Hollywood"? The "art" cinema of the Hollywood "Renaissance" or the corporate controlled blockbuster? The introverted world of Travis Bickle or the action heroics of Indiana Jones, Buzz Lightyear, and Maximus the Gladiator? Innovative departures from the "classical" Hollywood style or superficial glitz, special effects, and borrowings from MTV? Wholesale change or important continuities with Hollywood's past? The answer suggested by Geoff King in New Hollywood Cinema is all of these and more. He examines New Hollywood from three main perspectives: film style, industry, and the social-historical context. Each is considered in its own right, sometimes resulting in different ways of defining New Hollywood. But one of the book's central arguments is that a combination of these approaches is needed if we are to understand the latest incarnations of the cinema that continues to dominate the global market.

King looks at the Hollywood "Renaissance" from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, industrial factors shaping the construction of the corporate blockbuster, the role of auteur directors, genre and stardom in New Hollywood, narrative and spectacle in the contemporary blockbuster, and the relationship between production for the big and small screens.

Case studies considered include Taxi Driver, Godzilla, and Gladiator, tracing the roots of New Hollywood from the 1950s to the start of the twenty-first century.

Author: Geoff King
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 09/11/2002
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.02lbs
Size: 9.18h x 6.16w x 0.89d
ISBN: 9780231127592


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 09/01/2002 pg. 38
Library Journal 09/15/2002 pg. 64

About the Author
Geoff King is lecturer in film and television studies at Brunel University in West London. His books include Film Comedy, Spectacular Narratives, and, with Tanya Krzywinska, Science Fiction Cinema. He is also coeditor of ScreenPlay: Cinema/Videogames/Interfaces.