Projecting The End Of The American Dream: Hollywood's Visions Of U.S. Decline [Hardcover]

This provocative book reveals how Hollywood films reflect our deepest fears and anxieties as a country, often recording our political beliefs and cultural conditions while underscoring the darker side of the American way of life.

Long before the war in Iraq and the economic crises of the early 21st century, Hollywood has depicted a grim view of life in the United States, one that belies the prosperity and abundance of the so-called American Dream. While the country emerged from World War II as a world power, collectively our sense of security had been threatened. The result is a cinematic body of work that has America's decline and ruin as a central theme. The author draws from popular films across all genres and six decades to illustrate how the political climate of the times influenced their creation.

Projecting the End of the American Dream: Hollywood's Visions of U.S. Declinecombines film history, social history, and political history to reveal important themes in the unfolding American narrative. Discussions focus on a wide variety of films, includingRambo,Planet of the Apes, andEasy Rider.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 American Ruin, the American Dream, and Hollywood
Chapter 2 Backstory
Chapter 3 A Dangerous World
Chapter 4 Above and Below the Shiny Surface
Chapter 5 Rising Paranoia
Chapter 6 Eruption
Chapter 7 Disillusion
Chapter 8 Shimmering Fa?ade
Chapter 9 Hollow World
Chapter 10 Apocalypse Realized
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index