Hollywood Blockbusters The Anthropology of Popular Movies [Hardcover]

Why do 'Jaws', 'Field of Dreams', 'The Big Lebowski', and 'The
Godfather' remain strikingly popular in this age of fragmented
audiences and ever-faster spin cycles? Hollywood Blockbusters: The
Anthropology of Popular Movies argues that these films continue to
captivate audiences because they play upon underlying tensions and
problems in American culture, much like the myths that anthropologists
study in non-Western contexts. In making this argument, the authors
employ and extend anthropological theories about ritual, kinship, gift
giving, power, egalitarianism, literacy, metalinguistics, stereotypes,
and the mysteries of the Other. The results - original insights into
modern film classics, American culture, and anthropological theory - will
appeal to students of Film, Media, Anthropology, Sociology, and
Cultural Studies.

The ideas expressed between film and society in Hollywood Blockbusters make it a must read. These intriguing ideas are those one would never connect on his/her own, but through the well written guidance of anthropologist we see how prevalent such issues are in our society today. Through the exploration of Sutton and Wogan, one can learn a great deal about cultures and beliefs of American society that are depicted in numerous Hollywood films. Nick Cocuzza, Film Matters

1: Introduction *2: The Godfather: The Gun, the Pen, and the Cannoli *3: Field Of Dreams: Blurring the Lines *4: Jaws: The Eyes of the Other *5: The Big Lebowski: Timely Masculinities *6: The Village: The Political Anthropology of the Possible*7: Conclusion *Notes *Bibliography *Index

David Sutton is Associate Professor of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University.
Peter Wogan is Associate Professor of Anthropology, Willamette University.