The Sixties: 1960-1969
Nowhere was the cultural upheaval of the 1960s more dramatically expressed than in the motion picture industry. Groundbreaking films such as The Wild Bunch, Dr. Strangelove, and Easy Rider marked a sharp contrast to the predominately tame, conventional fare of the previous decade. Monaco (cinema and video, Montana State Univ.) skillfully delineates this transformation. While the big studio system faded, the old downtown movie theaters and outdoor drive-ins were gradually replaced by a proliferation of multiplexes owned by corporate conglomerates. Adherence to the time-honored Hollywood "Production Code" significantly relaxed, resulting in more sexually frank films, such as Blow-Up and I Am Curious (Yellow), and an increase in screen violence, exemplified by Bonnie and Clyde. The author provides detailed analyses of the technical aspects of filmmaking innovations and advances in editing, such as the jump-cuts and fast/slow motion so effectively used in A Hard Day's Night. He also explores the changes in soundtrack music, caused by the termination of studios' in-house orchestras, and the disappointments of the avant-garde film genre. Highly recommended for cinema collections. Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., RenoCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.