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9781442237933

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While the Cold War ended in 1991 with a whimper, not a bang, it still affects popular culture in many ways. In his book. Hollywood and the End of the Cold War: Signs of Cinematic Change, Bryn Upton discusses how filmmakers used many of the same Cold War themes in new ways...In addition to providing the background of the Cold War and how it was represented in films of the period, Bryn Upton describes the period since the fall of the Soviet Union and how movies deal with many of the same issues. He talks about how films deal with good versus evil, how espionage is portrayed with different enemies, as well as the changing identities of different groups. He also makes sure to review the concept of nuclear holocaust, one of the major Cold War film themes, and how newer films still use it as a plot point. Upton gives a great overview of modern film and what the movies took from the ideas developed during that turbulent period. New Books Network

The lion's share of scholarship about Hollywood and the Cold War has been paid to the 'blacklist' and the influence of McCarthyism. Upton shifts focus forward in time to the end of the Cold War, analyzing how the relatively sudden disappearance of the adversarial geopolitics of the Cold War affected the thematic, symbolic, and rhetorical content of Hollywood films. Each of Upton's nine chapters examines a fairly popular genre of movie--e.g., the superhero film, the spy thriller, the coming-of-age story--and looks at how exemplars within that genre evolved from the Cold War's second peak during the Reagan era through the two decades following its end. . . .Upton's writing is insightful and accessible. . . .This is a valuable. . . .introductory source. Summing Up: Recommended. . . .Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduates students; general readers. * CHOICE * While the Cold War ended in 1991 with a whimper, not a bang, it still affects popular culture in many ways. In his book. Hollywood and the End of the Cold War: Signs of Cinematic Change, Bryn Upton discusses how filmmakers used many of the same Cold War themes in new ways. . . .In addition to providing the background of the Cold War and how it was represented in films of the period, Bryn Upton describes the period since the fall of the Soviet Union and how movies deal with many of the same issues. He talks about how films deal with good versus evil, how espionage is portrayed with different enemies, as well as the changing identities of different groups. He also makes sure to review the concept of nuclear holocaust, one of the major Cold War film themes, and how newer films still use it as a plot point. Upton gives a great overview of modern film and what the movies took from the ideas developed during that turbulent period. * New Books Network *

The lion’s share of scholarship about Hollywood and the Cold War has been paid to the 'blacklist' and the influence of McCarthyism. Upton shifts focus forward in time to the end of the Cold War, analyzing how the relatively sudden disappearance of the adversarial geopolitics of the Cold War affected the thematic, symbolic, and rhetorical content of Hollywood films. Each of Upton’s nine chapters examines a fairly popular genre of movie--e.g., the superhero film, the spy thriller, the coming-of-age story--and looks at how exemplars within that genre evolved from the Cold War’s second peak during the Reagan era through the two decades following its end. . . .Upton’s writing is insightful and accessible. . . .This is a valuable. . . .introductory source. Summing Up: Recommended. . . .Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduates students; general readers. * CHOICE * While the Cold War ended in 1991 with a whimper, not a bang, it still affects popular culture in many ways. In his book. Hollywood and the End of the Cold War: Signs of Cinematic Change, Bryn Upton discusses how filmmakers used many of the same Cold War themes in new ways. . . .In addition to providing the background of the Cold War and how it was represented in films of the period, Bryn Upton describes the period since the fall of the Soviet Union and how movies deal with many of the same issues. He talks about how films deal with good versus evil, how espionage is portrayed with different enemies, as well as the changing identities of different groups. He also makes sure to review the concept of nuclear holocaust, one of the major Cold War film themes, and how newer films still use it as a plot point. Upton gives a great overview of modern film and what the movies took from the ideas developed during that turbulent period. * New Books Network *

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Bryn Upton is associate professor of history at McDaniel College, where he is a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award. His teaching and research focus on modern U.S. history, intellectual history, and African American history.

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