Synopses & Reviews
Explosive! Amazing! Terrifying! You wonandrsquo;t believe your eyes!and#160;and#160;Such movie taglines were common in the 1950s, as Hollywood churned out a variety of low-budget pictures that were sold on the basis of their sensational content and topicality. While a few of these movies have since become canonized by film fans and critics, a number of the eraandrsquo;s biggest fads have now faded into obscurity.
The Cool and the Crazy examines seven of these film cycles, including short-lived trends like boxing movies, war pictures, and social problem films detailing the sordid and violent life of teenagers, as well as uniquely 1950s takes on established genres like the gangster picture. and#160;
and#160;Peter Stanfield reveals how Hollywood sought to capitalize upon current events, moral panics, and popular fads, making movies that were andldquo;ripped from the headlinesandrdquo; on everything from the Korean War to rock and roll. As he offers careful readings of several key films, he also considers the broader historical and commercial contexts in which these films were produced, marketed, and exhibited. In the process, Stanfield uncovers surprising synergies between Hollywood and other arenas of popular culture, like the ways that the fashion trend for blue jeans influenced the 1950s Western.and#160;
and#160;Delivering sharp critical insights in jazzy, accessible prose, The Cool and the Crazy offers an appreciation of cinema as a andldquo;popandrdquo; medium, unabashedly derivative, faddish, and ephemeral. By studying these long-burst bubbles of 1950s andldquo;pop,andrdquo; Stanfield reveals something new about what films do and the pleasures they provide.and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;
Review
andquot;Fresh ideas, fresh arguments, and a good feel for the 1950sandmdash;Stanfield has it all. This book is one of a kind.andquot;
Review
andquot;This dazzling archaeology of cycles and genres in postwar cinema goes deep into cultural history, then pulls back to reveal patterns and movements unseen until Stanfield saw them. Highly recommended.andquot;
Synopsis
Sinister, swaggering, yet often sympathetic, the figure of the gangster has stolen and murdered its way into the hearts of American cinema audiences. Despite the enduring popularity of the gangster film, however, traditional criticism has focused almost entirely on a few canonical movies such as Little Caesar, Public Enemy, and The Godfather trilogy, resulting in a limited and distorted understanding of this diverse and changing genre.
Mob Culture offers a long-awaited, fresh look at the American gangster film, exposing its hidden histories from the Black Hand gangs of the early twentieth century to The Sopranos. Departing from traditional approaches that have typically focused on the "nature" of the gangster, the editors have collected essays that engage the larger question of how the meaning of criminality has changed over time. Grouped into three thematic sections, the essays examine gangster films through the lens of social, gender, and racial/ethnic issues.
Destined to become a classroom favorite, Mob Culture is an indispensable reference for future work in the genre.
Synopsis
In the 1950s, Hollywood made a variety of sensational movies meant to capitalize upon current events, moral panics, and popular fads. The Cool and the Crazy examines seven of the decadeandrsquo;s key film cycles, including short-lived trends like boxing and juvenile delinquency movies, as well as uniquely andlsquo;50s takes on established genres like the Western. and#160;Delivering sharp critical insights in jazzy, accessible prose, Peter Stanfield offers an appreciation of cinema as a andldquo;popandrdquo; medium, unabashedly derivative, faddish, and ephemeral.and#160;and#160;
About the Author
Lee Grieveson is the director of the graduate program in film studies at University College London and the author of
Policing Cinema: Movies and Censorship in Early-Twentieth-Century America.Esther Sonnet is a principal lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and has published numerous articles on contemporary film, gender, and sexuality.
Peter Stanfield is a senior lecturer in film studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury and the author of Hollywood, Westerns and the 1930s: The Lost Trail.