Customer Reviews

History of the American Cinema: Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Age of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979

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Of the volumes in the excellent History of the American Cinema series, this is the best by far. Cook provides a superb, balanced overview of the film industry in the 1970s, considering practically every aspect of the topic--from the economics of the industry to the production trends to even the distribution and innovations in film technology. For any serious student of film history, this is a must read!

This is a fascinating text, worth five graduate courses on the subject. I'm amazed that it hasn't gotten more attention from reviewers here on Amazon. The text is light on critical discussions of the films of the decade, but that isn't really the point. Cook's objective is to examine the social, economic, and technical contexts in which films were made in the 1970's, and from that perspective he does an amazingly comprehensive job. From the impact of cultural and political movements, to the recession that almost crippled the industry in the early 1970's, to technological advances, to the rise of the auteur, to the major players and genres, to the emergence of the blockbuster mentality, Cook thoroughly reviews a decade that saw some of the greatest sea changes in how movies are made. Rather than a lot of theory or critique, you come away with an insider's sense of what filmmaking in the 1970's really meant. A must-read for anyone interested in this period in cinema history or who-like me-grew up in this decade.

The 70's is part of the landmark series created and edited by Charles H. Harpole. Each volume covers about a decade and was conceived as a readable scholarly history, each with the same coverage: the stylistic, technological, and economic factors of American feature, documentary, and avant garde cinema. The goal is to be comprehensive, judicious, and well researched without losing the love of the movies. The illustrations are particularily good in that they are often real frame enlargements or are not published elsewhere. The U.Calif. Press paperbacks are reproductions of the Scribner $70 hardbacks and thus are a bargain.
Look for the other 9 books of the Series and enjoy!

David A. Cook's volume Lost Illusions contributes Volume 9 to the ongoing History of the American Cinema series, covering the period from 1970-79 when American cinema operated against the social conditions of Vietnam and Watergate. The rise of film conglomerates is charted along with new filmmaking techniques.