
Spectacular Narratives
Contemporary Hollywood and Frontier Mythology
Geoff King(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 24. November 2000
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-86064-572-3 (ISBN)
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Description
What is the appeal of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster? The sheer scale and impact of big special effects sequences is part of the attraction of films such as Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Titanic or Mission Impossible. But they also offer other appeals, including the dynamics of narrative. Spectacular Narratives is the first serious book-length treatment of the contemporary blockbuster, including the digital-effects-based spectacle, space fictions, the action film, war spectaculars, the recent wave of disaster movies and films evoking new technologies such as virtual reality. Consideration is also given to the impact of profitable spin-offs such as film-related theme park rides and computer games. Geoff King argues against the view that an emphasis on the spectacular has led to an erosion of the importance of narrative in Hollywood. Instead, he suggests, even the most spectacular and effects-led contemporary blockbuster offers a blend of appeals, mixing elements of spectacle and narrative.
Narrative is explored at the levels of both linear story-telling and underlying thematic patterns, a particular emphasis being placed on the persistence of elements of the myth/ideology of the American frontier. Close textual analysis is combined with consideration of the industrial and social contexts of contemporary Hollywood in a readable, original and rewarding book on the cinema that dominates markets across the globe.
Narrative is explored at the levels of both linear story-telling and underlying thematic patterns, a particular emphasis being placed on the persistence of elements of the myth/ideology of the American frontier. Close textual analysis is combined with consideration of the industrial and social contexts of contemporary Hollywood in a readable, original and rewarding book on the cinema that dominates markets across the globe.
Reviews / Votes
Creative Screenwriting Magazine: "packed with useful information for the screenwriter."More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-86064-572-3 (9781860645723)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2000
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€26.49
Available for download
Person
Geoff King is Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at Brunel University and is the author of Mapping Reality: An Exploration of Cultural Cartographies and, with Tanya Krzywinksa, Science Fiction Cinema: From Outerspace to Cyberspace.
Content
Introduction - spectacle, narrative and "frontier" mythology; digital dinosaurs - from T-Rex to Titanic; the final frontier -space fictions; maximum impact - action films; seriously spectacular - "authenticity" and "art" in the war epic; apocalypse, maybe - pre-millennial disaster movies; conclusion -into the spectacle?.