Projecting Paranoia: Conspiratorial Visions in American Film (Culture America)
Pratt (political science, Montana State Univ.; Rhythm and  Resistance: Political Uses of American Popular Music) provides  an overview and illustration of how the American public's view  of government and society has become darker and more suspicious  in the postwar era. Significantly, much of the discourse  presented here is currently being suppressed or ignored by the  mainstream media. Through the analysis of such films as It's a  Wonderful Life, The Manchurian Candidate, Thelma & Louise, Blue  Velvet, and Enemy of the State, Pratt describes the increasing  distrust and anxiety that films display as an indication of the  public's disengagement from and disillusionment with its  government and society. A range of topics is addressed,  including film noir, corrupt policemen and other officials, the  establishment and questioning of "family values," sexual  paranoia and the femme fatale, and the pervasiveness of  surveillance in society. The book is well written and well  argued, and it will be a valuable addition to any library with a  film, popular culture, or media studies section. Highly  recommended for academic and large public libraries. Andrea  Slonosky, Long Island Univ., Brooklyn, NYCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.