Reel Power: Hollywood Cinema and American SupremacyHollywood is often characterised as a stronghold of left-liberal ideals. In Reel Power, Matthew Alford shows that it is in fact deeply complicit in serving the interests of the most regressive US corporate and political forces. Films like Transformers, Terminator: Salvation and Black Hawk Down are constructed with Defence Department assistance as explicit cheerleaders for the US military, but Matthew Alford also emphasises how so-called 'radical' films like Three Kings, Hotel Rwanda and Avatar present watered-down alternative visions of American politics that serve a similar function. Reel Power is the first book to examine the internal workings of contemporary Hollywood as a politicised industry as well as scores of films across all genres. No matter what the progressive impulses of some celebrities and artists, Alford shows how they are part of a system that is hard-wired to encourage American global supremacy and frequently the use of state violence. |
Contents
Comedy | xx |
Action Adventure | xxxvi |
Science Fiction | liii |
Political Drama | lxvii |
The LowBudget Battlefield | 8 |
REEL VIOLENCE | 21 |
Filmography | 2008 |
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Action Adventure Afghanistan Air Force American Arabs arms assassination attack audiences Avatar benevolence Black Hawk bomb Bourne Buffalo Soldiers Bush Charlie Wilson's War CIA's cinema civilian Collateral Damage commentators corporate critical David decision Department of Defense depicted director Disney DVD commentary Executive Fahrenheit 9/11 fight film film-makers film's foreign policy franchise heroes Hotel Rwanda Ibid images Iraq Iraqi Israeli Jarhead Kennedy kill Klingons leaders major Marine Michael military million missile mission moral movie Murdoch Muslims Na'vi narratives national security Nixon nuclear weapons October Oliver Stone Operation Hollywood Palestinian Pentagon political President Quiet American Rambo ref1 ref2 ref3 ref4 ref5 ref6 release rescue Rules of Engagement Russian Ryan Saddam scene screening script shot soldiers Somalia Soviet Spielberg Spy Game Star Stargate studio Syriana Team America terrorists Three Kings Top Gun troops True Lies United 93 victims Vietnam villains White House Windtalkers York Zohan