The United States emerged from World War II with superpower status and quickly entered a period of economic prosperity. The same period marked the heyday of the western film. This book examines many of the significant westerns released between 1946 and 1962, analyzing how they responded to and influenced the cultural climate of the country.
An urban history of the city that never sleeps through classic films such as Shaft, Annie Hall, Death Wish, The Godfather, and Taxi Driver, Starring New York showcases the city's lasting contribution to American cinema during a decade fraught with sociocultural changes.
This analysis delves into significant western films from 1946 to 1962, exploring their impact on and reflection of the cultural climate of the era. By examining a dozen key films in detail, it connects them to one another and to a broader context, highlighting how these cinematic works contributed to the mythology of the American frontier. The study reveals the intricate relationship between film and culture during a transformative period in American history.
The first comprehensive, season-by-season analysis of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire, this book explicates the complex narrative arc of the entire series and its sweeping vision of institutional failure in the postindustrial United States.