Sociology on Film : Postwar Hollywood's Prestige Commodity / Chris Cagle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cagle, Chris, 1974- author.

Series:

Sociology on film

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social problems in motion pictures.

Motion pictures--Social aspects--United States.

Motion pictures.

Motion pictures--United States--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (pages cm)

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

After World War II, Hollywood's "social problem films"-tackling topical issues that included racism, crime, mental illness, and drug abuse-were hits with critics and general moviegoers alike. In an era of film famed for its reliance on pop psychology, these movies were a form of popular sociology, bringing the academic discipline's concerns to a much broader audience. Sociology on Film examines how the postwar "problem film" translated contemporary policy debates and intellectual discussions into cinematic form in order to become one of the preeminent genres of prestige drama. Chris Cagle chronicles how these movies were often politically fractious, the work of progressive directors and screenwriters who drew scrutiny from the House Un-American Activities Committee. Yet he also proposes that the genre helped to construct an abstract discourse of "society" that served to unify a middlebrow American audience. As he considers the many forms of print media that served to inspire social problem films, including journalism, realist novels, and sociological texts, Cagle also explores their distinctive cinematic aesthetics. Through a close analysis of films like Gentleman's Agreement, The Lost Weekend, and Intruder in the Dust, he presents a compelling case that the visual style of these films was intimately connected to their more expressly political and sociological aspirations. Sociology on Film demonstrates how the social problem picture both shaped and reflected the middle-class viewer's national self-image, making a lasting impact on Hollywood's aesthetic direction.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Two Modes of Prestige Film

2. Hollywood as Popular Sociology

3. Hollywood and the Public Sphere

4. A Genre Out of Cycles

5. Realist Melodrama

Epilogue

Notes

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 04. Sep 2019)

ISBN:

9780813576954

0813576954

9780813576961

0813576962

OCLC:

986140627