The Films of the Eighties: A Social HistorySouthern Illinois University Press, 1993 - 335 pages In this remarkable sequel to his Films of the Seventies: A Social History, William J. Palmer examines more than three hundred films as texts that represent, revise, parody, comment upon, and generate discussion about major events, issues, and social trends of the eighties. Palmer defines the dialectic between film art and social history, taking as his theoretical model the "holograph of history" that originated from the New Historicist theories of Hayden White and Dominick LaCapra. Combining the interests and methodologies of social history and film criticism, Palmer contends that film is a socially conscious interpreter and commentator upon the issues of contemporary social history. In the eighties, such issues included the war in Vietnam, the preservation of the American farm, terrorism, nuclear holocaust, changes in Soviet-American relations, neoconservative feminism, and yuppies. Among the films Palmer examines are Platoon, The Killing Fields, The River, Out of Africa, Little Drummer Girl, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Silkwood, The Day After, Red Dawn, Moscow on the Hudson, Troop Beverly Hills, and Fatal Attraction. Utilizing the principles of New Historicism, Palmer demonstrates that film can analyze and critique history as well as present it. |
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A Social History William J. Palmer. 3 The " Coming Home " Films N THE THREE - PHASE history of the Vietnam War films , the theme of " coming home " has been , from the beginning with Taxi Driver in 1976 , the most scrutinized aspect of ...
... home . " Three other films , Birdy ( 1985 ) , Some Kind of Hero ( 1981 ) , and Cease Fire ( 1986 ) , are psychological case studies of Vietnam veterans ' problems of reassimilation into American society . Each is ... Coming Home " Films 71.
... coming home " section of the film , and part three is the screwball chase after a briefcase full of negotiable bonds . By far the most interesting in its cynical black humor is the second section in which Eddie returns home and ...
Contents
The Vietnam War as Film Text | 16 |
The Coming Home Films | 61 |
The Terrorism Film Texts | 114 |
Copyright | |
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