{"product_id":"9780995648012","title":"The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film","description":"This book draws conclusions about the American mind through analysis of what might be called “cinema of excess:” cinema about Americans that includes culturally transgressive material such as violence, graphic sexuality, apocalyptic themes, and paranoia. The work begins with an introduction to far left and far right schools of film criticism, including Marxism, cultural conservatism, and religious conservatism. The author then takes a balanced look at various films’ interpretations of several traits of the American conscious: paranoia (\u003ci\u003eDr. Strangelove\u003c\/i\u003e), aggression (\u003ci\u003eRambo, Natural Born Killers\u003c\/i\u003e), oedipal\/Freudian themes (\u003ci\u003eThe Hulk, Star Wars\u003c\/i\u003e), sexual obsession (\u003ci\u003eAmerican Beauty\u003c\/i\u003e), the apocalypse (\u003ci\u003eThe Passion of the Christ,\u003c\/i\u003e the \u003ci\u003eLeft Behind\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy), Native Americans and cultural genocide (\u003ci\u003eLittle Big Man\u003c\/i\u003e), new age narcissism (\u003ci\u003eI Heart Huckabees)\u003c\/i\u003e, nihilism and self-destruction (\u003ci\u003eFight Club\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTaxi Driver\u003c\/i\u003e), intellect and cultural autism (\u003ci\u003eA Beautiful Mind\u003c\/i\u003e), and virtual reality\/fantasy (\u003ci\u003eThe Matrix\u003c\/i\u003e). Finally, a look at American sanity is provided through films like \u003ci\u003eOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Fisher King, Vanilla Sky\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003e21 Grams\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Stochastic Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47019492016368,"sku":"9780995648012","price":16.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780995648012_p0.jpg?v=1763901480","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780995648012","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}