American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11
Edited by Terence McSweeney
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Book Presentation:
A comprehensive critical survey of the impact of 9/11 on Film, written by some of the foremost scholars in American cinema
American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11 is a ground-breaking collection of essays by some of the foremost scholars writing in the field of contemporary American film. Through a dynamic critical analysis of the defining films of the turbulent post-9/11 decade, the volume explores and interrogates the impact of 9/11 and the 'War on Terror' on American cinema and culture. In a vibrant discussion of films like American Sniper (2014), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Spectre (2015), The Hateful Eight (2015), Lincoln (2012), The Mist (2007), Children of Men (2006), Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), noted authors Geoff King, Guy Westwell, John Shelton Lawrence, Ian Scott, Andrew Schopp, James Kendrick, Sean Redmond, Steffen Hantke and many others consider the power of popular film to function as a potent cultural artefact, able to both reflect the defining fears and anxieties of the tumultuous era, but also shape them in compelling and resonant ways.
Key Features
• Fifteen original essays by some of the foremost scholars in American Cinema
• Features essays on the key films of the era, along with many that have previously been overlooked in scholarly literature
• The volume is critically informed but vibrant and engaging
• Includes chapters by Geoff King, Guy Westwell, John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett, Ian Scott, Andrew Schopp, James Kendrick, Sean Redmond, Steffen Hantke and many othersCase Studies
• AmericanEast (Hesham Issawi, 2008)
• American Sniper (Clint Eastwood, 2014)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon, 2015)
• Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
• Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
• Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012)
• Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman, 2014)
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Stephen Daldry, 2011)
• Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
• Halloween (Rob Zombie, 2007)
• Halloween II (Rob Zombie, 2009)
• The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino, 2015)
• Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
• The Kingdom (Peter Berg, 2007)
• Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012)
• Marvel Avengers Assemble (Joss Whedon, 2012) U.S Title The Avengers
• Pearl Harbour (Michael Bay, 2001)
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Mira Nair, 2012)
• RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
• RoboCop (José Padilha, 2014)
• The Siege (Edward Zwick, 1998)
• Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011)
• Spectre (Sam Mendes, 2015)
• Unstoppable (Tony Scott, 2011)
• The Walk (Robert Zemeckis, 2015)
• The War Within (Joseph Castrello, 2005)
• Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012)
About the Author:
Terence McSweeney is Senior Lecturer in the School of Media Arts and Technology, Southampton Solent University.
Press Reviews:
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
Gripping and smart, American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11 is a must-read for cinema students and researchers. It offers especially timely and important analyses of post-9/11 US film through a series of lucid essays that incisively explore how the traumas and anxieties of the terrorist attacks continue to haunt American identity and its imaginary. I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone interested in the cultural function of film, narrative, and allegory.'– Dr Anna Froula, East Carolina University
See the publisher website: Edinburgh University Press
> From the same author:
James Bond Will Return (2024)
Critical Perspectives on the 007 Film Franchise
Dir. Claire Hines, Terence McSweeney and Stuart Joy
Subject: One Film > James Bond
Contemporary American Science Fiction Film (2023)
Dir. Terence McSweeney and Stuart Joy
Subject: Genre > Science Fiction
The Contemporary Superhero Film (2020)
Projections of Power and Identity
Subject: On Films > Characters
Avengers Assemble! (2018)
Critical Perspectives on the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Dir. Terence McSweeney
Subject: One Film > The Avengers
Millennial Cinema (2012)
Memory in Global Film
Dir. Amresh Sinha and Terence McSweeney
Subject: Sociology
> On a related topic:
Screening Nostalgia (2011)
Populuxe Props and Technicolor Aesthetics in Contemporary American Film
Subject: Sociology
New Brutality Film (2005)
Race and Affect in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
by Paul Gormley
Subject: Sociology
Traumatic Imprints (2018)
Cinema, Military Psychiatry, and the Aftermath of War
by Noah Tsika
Subject: Sociology
Disappearing War (2017)
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Cinema and Erasure in the Post-9/11 World
Dir. Christina Hellmich and Lisa Purse
Subject: Sociology