| American Audiences on Movies and Moviegoing Contributor(s): Stempel, Tom (Author) |
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ISBN: 0813121833 ISBN-13: 9780813121833 Publisher: University Press of Kentucky OUR PRICE: $38.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: January 2001 Annotation: A young woman on the appeal of Top Gun: "I always wanted to join the Navy and fly a fighter plane for the experience and the personal challenge". A young man on the appeal of Top Gun: "Big bad plane, big bad motorcycle, and big bad Kelly McGillis". Tom Stempel has spent more than fifty years sitting in the dark, watching movies and his fellow filmgoers, listening to their comments and reactions. His new book provides a unique perspective on half a century of American cinema from the audience's point of view. Going beyond comments of professional reviewers, Stempel concentrates on the opinions of ordinary people. Avoiding statistical summary, he presents the results of a survey on movies and moviegoing in the respondents' own words -- words that surprise, amuse, and irritate. What brings them together is Stempel's own observations from a lifetime of watching films and audiences. He also analyzes box office results to identify which movies people actually went to see, not just those the critics thought were good films. Stempel explores the impact of major films, the ways in which cable TV and VCRs have transformed moviegoing, and abilities of movie trailers to build audience anticipation. He traces shifting trends in genre and taste, examining and questioning the power films have in American society. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism - Social Science | Media Studies |
| Dewey: 791.430 |
| LCCN: 00036335 |
| Physical Information: 1.36" H x 6.3" W x 9.29" (1.36 lbs) 320 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A unique perspective on half a century of American cinema -- from the audience's point of view. Tom Stempel goes beyond the comments of professional reviewers, concentrating on the opinions of ordinary people. He traces shifting trends in genre and taste, examining and questioning the power films have in American society. Stempel blends audience response with his own observations and analyzes box office results that identify the movies people actually went to see, not just those praised by the critics. Avoiding statistical summary, he presents the results of a survey on movies and moviegoing in the respondents' own words -- words that surprise, amuse, and irritate. The moviegoers respond: "Big bad plane, big bad motorcycle, and big bad Kelly McGillis." -- On Top Gun "All I can recall were the slave girls and the Golden Calf sequence and how it got me excited. My parents must have been very pleased with my enthusiasm for the Bible." -- On why a seven-year-old boy stayed up to watch The Ten Commandments "I learned the fine art of seduction by watching Faye Dunaway smolder." -- A woman's reaction to seeing Bonnie and Clyde "At age fifteen Jesus said he would be back, he just didn't say what he would look like." -- On E.T. "Quasimodo is every seventh grader." -- On why The Hunchback of Notre Dame should play well with middle-schoolers "A moronic, very 'Hollywoody' script, and a bunch of dancing teddy bears." -- On Return of the Jedi "I couldn't help but think how Mad magazine would lampoon this." -- On The Exorcist |
