Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan . . . and Beyond

This classic of film criticism, long considered invaluable for its eloquent study of a problematic period in film history, is now substantially updated and revised by the author to include chapters beyond the Reagan era. For the new edition, Wood has included a considerable new preface, a chapter celebrating My Best Friend's Wedding, a section on 90s American teen comedies such as American Pie and Can't Hardly Wait, a chapter on Hollywood today that looks at David Fincher and Jim Jarmusch (among others), and a helpful essay on Day of the Dead.

This edition contains all chapters from the original 1986 edition plus critical analyses of the films of Martin Scorcese and Michael Cimino, a political assault on the films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and in in-depth meditation on Brian De Palma.This classic of film criticism, long considered invaluable for its eloquent study of a problematic period in film history, is now substantially updated and revised by the author to include chapters beyond the Reagan era and into the twenty-first century. For the new edition, Robin Wood has written a substantial new preface that explores the interesting double context within which the book can be read-that in which it was written and that in which we find ourselves today. Among the other additions to this new edition are a celebration of modern "screwball" comedies like My Best Friend's Wedding, and an analysis of '90s American and Canadian teen movies in the vein of American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, and Rollercoaster. Also included are a chapter on Hollywood today that looks at David Fincher and Jim Jarmusch (among others) and an illuminating essay on Day of the Dead.