The 'War on Terror' and American Film - (Traditions in American Cinema) by Terence McSweeney (Paperback)

About the Book

This compelling, theoretically informed and up-to-date exploration of contemporary American cinema charts the evolution of the impact of 9/11 on Hollywood film.

Book Synopsis

This compelling, theoretically informed and up-to-date exploration of contemporary American cinema charts the evolution of the impact of 9/11 on Hollywood film from Black Hawk Down (2001), through Batman Begins (2005), United 93 (2006) to Olympus Has Fallen (2013). Through a vibrant analysis of a range of genres and films - which in turn reveal a strikingly diverse array of social, historical and political perspectives - this book explores the impact of 9/11 and the war on terror on American cinema in the first decade of the new millennium and beyond.

From the Back Cover

TRADITIONS IN AMERICAN CINEMA Series Editors: Linda Badley and R. Barton Palmer This series explores a wide range of traditions in American cinema which are in need of introduction, investigation or critical reassessment. It emphasizes the multiplicity rather than the supposed homogeneity of studio-era and independent filmmaking, making a case that the American cinema is more diverse than some accounts might suggest. 'This is an important and comprehensive study of Hollywood cinema and its representation of the impact of 9/11. In particular McSweeney's investigation of genre enables the reader to explore ideological connections between the explicit (United 93) and implicit text (Batman Begins) and question the notion of the "War on Terror".' Professor Karen Randell, University of Bedfordshire, co-editor of Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the War on Terror (2010) Popular cinema is often derided with the epithet 'it's only a movie', but is there any more potent cultural artefact than popular film? American film in the first decade of the 21st century became a cultural battleground on which a war of representation was waged, but did these films endorse the 'War on Terror' or challenge it? More than just reproducing these fears and fantasies, The 'War on Terror' and American Film argues that American cinema has played a significant role in shaping them, restructuring how audiences have viewed this most tumultuous of decades in particularly influential ways. This compelling and theoretically informed exploration of contemporary American cinema charts the evolution of the impact of 9/11 on Hollywood film through a range of genres - war films, superhero movies, historical dramas, horror and even alien invasion films - each revealing a cinema not of escapism but one that engages profoundly with the turbulent era in which their films were made. Through a vibrant analysis of films as diverse as War of the Worlds (2005), United 93 (2006), 300 (2007), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Marvel Avengers Assemble (2012) and many others, The 'War on Terror' and American Film explores the influence of the cultural trauma of 9/11 and the subsequent 'War on Terror' on American cinema in the first decade of the new millennium and beyond. Terence McSweeney is Lecturer in Film and Television Studies, Southampton Solent University.

Review Quotes

This is an important and comprehensive study of Hollywood cinema and its representation of the impact of 9/11. In particular McSweeney's investigation of genre enables the reader to explore ideological connections between the explicit (United 93) and implicit text (Batman Begins) and question the notion of the "war on terror".'--Karen Randell, University of Bedfordshire

Both [of Terence McSweeney's] publications provide fascinating and timely discussions of contemporary cultural texts in an accessible and engaging way. They are guaranteed to spark the interest of varied audiences, from students of American studies to researchers theorizing post-9/11 representations, ideologies and discourses in popular culture, politics and the media. The authors' fast-paced style and passion for academically overlooked, yet hugely popular films, will certainly appeal to the non-specialist public intrigued by the subtexts of box office hits.--Maria-Irina Popescu, University of Essex "European Journal of American Culture"

McSweeney convincingly shows how the action genre has incorporated the discourse of the war on terror into its narratives, by including post-9/11 debates on masculinity, the legitimacy of revenge as well as the role of the US in international affairs...the arguments and conclusions are convincing and at times surprising, resulting in a fresh take on several films and their relation to 9/11...an engaging and critically lucid monograph'--Thomas Ærvold Bjerre "American Studies in Scandanavia"

About the Author

Terence McSweeney is Senior Lecturer in the School of Media Arts and Technology, Southampton Solent University.