Hollywood Blockbusters

by David Sutton, Peter Wogan

Why do 'Jaws', 'Field of Dreams', 'The Big Lebowski', and 'The Godfather' remain strikingly popular in this age of fragmented audiences and ever-faster spin cycles? "Hollywood The Anthropology of Popular Movies" argues that these films continue to captivate audiences because they play upon underlying tensions and problems in American culture, much like the myths that anthropologists study in non-Western contexts. In making this argument, the authors employ and extend anthropological theories about ritual, kinship, gift giving, power, egalitarianism, literacy, metalinguistics, stereotypes, and the mysteries of the Other. The results - original insights into modern film classics, American culture, and anthropological theory - will appeal to students of Film, Media, Anthropology, Sociology, and Cultural Studies.

Genres: Anthropology, School

190 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Erin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some movies that just never seem to die. Perhaps they made a killing at the box office and continue to be handed down the generations, like a much-loved, now-scruffy childhood toy. Others were barely a blip on the silver screen’s radar when first released, yet continue to fill Christmas stockings and top-ten all-time favourite lists.

Through an exploration of six hits and flops, which the authors watched on high rotation over a number of years, this book explores why certain films persist in capturing the public’s imagination. Anthropologists David Sutton and Peter Wogan argue that movies with enduring popularity are best treated as myths, reflections of our culture that can tell us far more about ourselves than we imagine.

Every society has its own mythology that is passed down from generation to generation, sometimes verbally, sometimes in written form. But it can be difficult to identify just what is the Thor, Medusa or dreamtime spirit of our place and time. This is partly because societies tend to blend into one another as people and cultural products move fluidly around the world. But it’s also because it is difficult to grasp what our mythology is when we’re living it. Hindsight helps us decide which stories matter. How, then, can we ever hope to understand the myth-making processes we use today?

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[daniel dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potentially a great teaching resource for undergraduate courses incorporating mass media and popular culture.