Recycled Culture in Contemporary Art and Film: The Uses of Nostalgia (Cambridge Studies in Film)

The reuse of images, plots and genres from film history has become prominent in contemporary culture. In this 2003 study, Vera Dika explores this phenomenon from a broad range of critical perspectives, examining works of art and film that resist the pull of the past. Dika provides an in-depth analysis of works in several media, including performance, photography, Punk film, and examples from mainstream American and European cinema. Proclaiming the renewed importance of the image and of genre, she investigates works as diverse as Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, Amos Poe's The Foreigner, Terence Malick's Badlands, and Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart. Her study positions avant-garde art work within the context of contemporary mainstream film practice, as well as in relationship to their historical moment. The Reuse Of Past Images, Plots, And Genres From Film History Has Become A Prominent Feature Of Contemporary Culture. Vera Dika Explores This Practice From A Broad Range Of Critical Perspectives, Examining Works Of Art And Film That Resist The Pull Of The Past. Dika Provides An In-depth Analysis Of Works In Several Media, Including Performance, Photography, Punk Film, As Well As Mainstream American And European Films. Noting The Renewed Importance Of The Image And Of Genre, She Investigates Works As Diverse As Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, Amos Poe's The Foreigner, Terence Malick's Badlands, And Francis Ford Coppola's One Flew From The Heart. Her Study Positions Avantgarde Art Work Within The Context Of Contemporary Mainstream Film Practice, As Well As In Relationship To Each Work's Historical Moment.--jacket. Pt. 1: The Returned Image -- The Photographic/film Image -- Attacks On The Image -- The New Image -- The Nostalgia Film -- Strategies Of Resistance -- Mainstream Film In The 1970s -- A Cinema Of Loneliness -- The Moca Show -- Pt. 2: Art And Film: New York City In The Late 1970s -- The Structural Film -- Pictures -- Jack Goldstein -- Two Fencers -- Robert Longo -- Cindy Sherman -- Amos Poe -- Pt. 3: Returned Genres: The Dream Has Ended -- Badlands -- The Return Of The Real -- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- The Shootist -- The Last Waltz -- Pt. 4: Reconsidering The Nostalgia Film -- American Graffiti -- The Conformist -- The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- Pt. 5: A Return To The 1950s: The Dangers In Utopia -- Grease -- Utopia Rejected -- Last Exit To Brooklyn -- Pt. 6: Coppola And Scorsese: Authorial Views -- Apocalypse Now -- One From The Heart -- The Last Temptation Of Christ -- Pt. 7: To Destroy The Sign -- The Loss Of The Real -- Television -- Serialized Forms -- The Return Of The Classical Film Genres -- The Stalker Film -- The Western -- The Gangster/crime Film. Vera Dika. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 231-235) And Index. The reuse of past images, plots, and genres from film history has become a prominent feature of contemporary culture. Vera Dika explores this practice from a broad range of critical perspectives, examining works of art and film that resist the pull of the past. Dika provides an in-depth analysis of works in several media, including performance, photography, Punk film, as well as mainstream American and European films. Noting the renewed importance of the image and of genre, she investigates works as diverse as Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, Amos Poe's The Foreigner, Terence Malick's Badlands, and Francis Ford Coppola's One Flew from the Heart. Her study positions avant garde art work within the context of contemporary mainstream film practice, as well as in relationship to each work's historical moment.--Publisher description Vera Dika explores the reuse of images, plots and genres of film history from a broad range of critical perspectives. Examining works of art and film that resist the pull of the past, Dika provides an in-depth analysis within a variety of media, including performance, photography, Punk film, and examples from mainstream American and European cinema. Her study analyzes avant-garde art work within the context of contemporary mainstream film practice, as well as in relationship to their historical moment. Frontmatter i-viii Contents ix-x Acknowledgments xi-xii 1 - The Returned Image 1-23 2 - Art and Film: New York City in the Late 1970s 24-54 3 - Returned Genres: The Dream Has Ended 55-88 4 - Reconsidering the Nostalgia Film 89-121 5 - A Return to the 1950s: The Dangers in Utopia 122-155 6 - Coppola and Scorsese: Authorial Views 156-196 7 - To Destroy the Sign 197-224 Notes 225-230 Bibliography 231-236 Index 237-241