Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in 1980s American Cinema

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Kendrick ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ Southern฀Illinois University฀Press “Hollywood Bloodshed is a compelling and original book that will expand and update the available body of work on film violence and enrich the wider history of 1980s U.S. cinema.”—J. David Slocum, editor of Violence and American Cinema In Hollywood Bloodshed, James Kendrick presents a fascinating look into the political and ideological instabilities of the 1980s as seen through the lens of cinema violence. Kendrickusesin-depthcasestudies to reveal how dramatic changes in the film industry and its treatment of cinematic bloodshed during the Reagan era reflected shifting social tides as Hollywood struggled to find a balance between the lucrative necessity of screen violence and the rising surge of conservatism. As public opinion shifted toward the right and increasing emphasis was placed on issues such as family values and “money culture,” film executives were faced with an epic dilemma: the violent aspects of cinema that had been the studios’ bread and butter were now almost universally rejected by mainstream audiences. Far from eliminating screen bloodshed altogether, studios found new ways of packaging violence that would allow them to continue to attract audiences without risking public outcry, ushering in a period of major transition in the film industry. The 1980swouldseetheascentofentertainmentconglomeratesandpowerful producers and the meteoric rise of the blockbuster—a film with no less violence than its earlier counterparts, but with action-oriented thrills rather than more troubling images of brutality. Enhanced by twenty illustrations, Hollywood Bloodshed examines the intersection of screen violence, the film industry, and American culture in the 1980s. James Kendrick is an assistant professor of communication studies at Baylor University. He is the author of the forthcoming book Film Violence : History, Ideology, Genre, and his articles have appeared in several publications, including the Journal of Film and Video and Journal of Popular Film and Television. Southern Illinois University Press 1915 University Press Drive Mail Code 6806 Carbondale, IL 62901 www.siu.edu/~siupress Film฀Studies Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration: iStockphoto © Marcus LindstrÖm isbn 0-8093-2888-7 isbn 978-0-8093-2888-8 VIOLENCE฀IN฀1980s฀AMERICAN฀CINEMA James฀Kendrick ...