Firestorm : American film in the age of terrorism / Stephen Prince.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Prince, Stephen, 1955-2020.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--United States--History--21st century.

Motion pictures.

September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001--Influence.

September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.

Motion pictures--Political aspects--United States.

Terrorism in motion pictures.

Psychic trauma in motion pictures.

War films--History and criticism.

War films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (401 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, c2009.

Summary:

It was believed that September 11th would make certain kinds of films obsolete, such as action thrillers crackling with explosions or high-casualty blockbusters where the hero escapes unscathed. While the production of these films did ebb, the full impact of the attacks on Hollywood's creative output is still taking shape. Did 9/11 force filmmakers and screenwriters to find new methods of storytelling? What kinds of movies have been made in response to 9/11, and are they factual? Is it even possible to practice poetic license with such a devastating, broadly felt tragedy? Stephen Prince is the first scholar to trace the effect of 9/11 on the making of American film. From documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) to zombie flicks, and from fictional narratives such as The Kingdom (2007) to Mike Nichols's Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Prince evaluates the extent to which filmmakers have exploited, explained, understood, or interpreted the attacks and the Iraq War that followed, including incidents at Abu Ghraib. He begins with pre-9/11 depictions of terrorism, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage (1936), and follows with studio and independent films that directly respond to 9/11. He considers documentary portraits and conspiracy films, as well as serial television shows (most notably Fox's 24 ) and made-for-TV movies that re-present the attacks in a broader, more intimate way. Ultimately Prince finds that in these triumphs and failures an exciting new era of American filmmaking has taken shape.

Contents:

Introduction

Theater of mass destruction

Shadows once removed

Ground Zero in focus

Battleground Iraq

Terrorism on the small screen

No end in sight.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes filmography.

ISBN:

9786613629036

9781280599200

1280599200

9780231520089

0231520085

OCLC:

787845148