Radical Visions: American Film Renaissance, 1967-1976

Radical Visions discusses an important period in American film history: films such as Bonnie and Clyde , The Graduate , McCabe and Mrs Miller , Midnight Cowboy , Nashville and Taxi Driver challenged the narrative structure and style of the classical Hollywood paradigm, transformed its conventional genres, exploded traditional American myths, and presaged a consciousness of the cinematic process. Film students, scholars and aficionados should gain insights into generic conventions and narrative style presented within the cultural attitudes of the time. The book features a chronological movement through the period, not by auteur but by film, from Bonnie and Clyde to Taxi Driver . It includes analyses of 16 films, but discusses other films when relevant. It traces the thematic development of the films as the period progresses from an optimistic radicalism at the beginning, to doubt and shattered dreams, to paranoia and pessimism at the end. It aims to summarise contemporary reviews and reactions to the films as they came out and gauge the films’ interactions with audiences and the society of the time. It also discusses European film-makers’ influences on the films of the period. The book aims to support and solidify the view of a Hollywood renaissance during this period, and more sharply define and delineate the parameters and charactertistics of the period than previous studies.