Film Firsts: The 25 Movies That Created Contemporary American Cinema Ethan Alter 9781440801877

This forward-looking exploration of contemporary American film across the last 40 years identifies and examines the specific movies that changed the film industry and shaped its present and future. Since the mid-1970s, American cinema has gone through enormous changes, such as the birth of the modern summer blockbuster, the rise of the independent film industry, ongoing technological advancements in special effects, and the ever-evolving models for film distribution. Written by a professional film critic and film buff, this book tells the story of contemporary American cinema in a unique and engaging way: by examining 25 key movies that demonstrated a significant creative, technological, or business innovation that impacted the industry at large. Each chapter in this chronological survey of contemporary film is divided into two sections: "The Film," which offers a critical overview of the film in question; and "The First," which describes the specific innovation achieved by that film and places that achievement in the larger historical context. Two additional appendices in each chapter explore other significant aspects of both the film and its groundbreaking nature. The broad coverage-ranging from action movies to horror films to science fiction favorites-ensures the work's appeal to all film fans.

This forward-looking exploration of contemporary American film across the last 40 years identifies and examines the specific movies that changed the film industry and shaped its present and future.

About the Author
Ethan Alter is chief film critic and editor for the website, Television Without Pity.

Awards
Winner of 2014Book of the Year Award Honorable Mention, Popular Culture (Adult Nonfiction) 2014.



Book Information
ISBN 9781440801877
Author Ethan Alter
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Praeger Publishers Inc
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Weight(grams) 652g