American Cinema of the 1960s: Themes and Variations (Screen Decades)

The profound cultural and political changes of the 1960s brought the United States closer to social revolution than at any other time in the twentieth century. The country fragmented as various challenges to state power were met with increasing and violent resistance. The Cold War heated up and the Vietnam War divided Americans. Civil rights, women's liberation, and gay rights further emerged as significant social issues. Free love was celebrated even as the decade was marked by assassinations, mass murders, and social unrest. At the same time, American cinema underwent radical change as well. The studio system crumbled, and the Production Code was replaced by a new ratings system. Among the challenges faced by the film industry was the dawning shift in theatrical exhibition from urban centers to surburban multiplexes, an increase in runaway productions, the rise of independent producers, and competition from both television and foreign art films. Hollywood movies became more cynical, violent, and sexually explicit, reflecting the changing values of the time. In ten original essays, American Cinema of the 1960s examines a range of films that characterized the decade, including Hollywood movies, documentaries, and independent and experimental films. Among the films discussed are Elmer Gantry, The Apartment, West Side Story, The Manchurian Candidate, To Kill a Mockingbird, Cape Fear, Bonnie and Clyde, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Midnight Cowbody, and Easy Rider. The profound cultural and political changes of the 1960s brought the United States closer to social revolution than at any other time in the twentieth century. The country fragmented as various challenges to state power were met with increasing and violent resistance. The Cold War heated up and the Vietnam War divided Americans. Civil rights, women's liberation, and gay rights further emerged as significant social issues. Free love was celebrated even as the decade was marked by assassinations, mass murders, and social unrest. At the same time, American cinema underwent radical change as well. The studio system crumbled, and the Production Code was replaced by a new ratings system. Among the challenges faced by the film industry was the dawning shift in theatrical exhibition from urban centers to surburban multiplexes, an increase in runaway productions, the rise of independent producers, and competition from both television and foreign art films. Hollywood movies became more cynical, violent, and sexually explicit, reflecting the changing values of the time. In ten original essays, __American Cinema of the 1960s__ examines a range of films that characterized the decade, including Hollywood movies, documentaries, and independent and experimental films. Among the films discussed are __Elmer Gantry__, __The Apartment__, __West Side Story__, __The Manchurian Candidate__, __To Kill a__ __Mockingbird__, __Cape Fear__, __Bonnie and Clyde__, __2001: A Space Odyssey__, M__idnight Cowboy__, and __Easy Rider__. 0813542189......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Timeline: The 1960s......Page 12 Introduction: Movies and the 1960s......Page 18 1960: Movies and Intimations of Disaster and Hope......Page 39 1961: Movies and Civil Rights......Page 61 1962: Movies and Deterioration......Page 84 1963: Movies and the Little Soldiers of the New Frontier......Page 106 1964: Movies, the Great Society, and the New Sensibility......Page 127 1965: Movies and the Color Line......Page 147 1966: Movies and Camp......Page 167 1967: Movies and the Specter of Rebellion......Page 189 1968: Movies and the Failure of Nostalgia......Page 210 1969: Movies and the Counterculture......Page 234 1960–1969: Select Academy Awards......Page 256 Works Cited and Consulted......Page 264 Contributors......Page 270 Index......Page 274 Introduction: Movies And The 1960s / Barry Keith Grant -- 1960: Movies And Intimations Of Disaster And Hope / Christopher Sharrett -- 1961: Movies And Civil Rights / Anna Everett -- 1962: Movies And Deterioration / Eric Schaefer -- 1963: Movies And The Little Soldiers Of The New Frontier / Joe Mcelhaney -- 1964: Movies, The Great Society, And The New Sensibility / James Morrison -- 1965: Movies And The Color Line / David Desser -- 1966: Movies And Camp / Harry M. Benshoff -- 1967: Movies And The Specter Of Rebellion / Murray Pomerance -- 1968: Movies And The Failure Of Nostalgia / Leslie H. Abramson -- 1969: Movies And The Counterculture / Christie Milliken. Edited By Barry Keith Grant. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-252) And Index. This book examines a range of films that characterized the decade, including Hollywood movies, documentaries, and the independent and experimental films