{"product_id":"9781476622514","title":"Genre-Busting Dark Comedies of the 1970s: Twelve American Films","description":"This examination of dark comedies of the 1970s focuses on films which concealed black humor behind a misleading genre label. \u003ci\u003eAll That Jazz\u003c\/i\u003e (1979) is a musical...about death—hardly Fred and Ginger territory. This masking goes beyond misnomer to a breaking of formula that director Robert Altman called “anti-genre.” Altman’s \u003ci\u003eMASH\u003c\/i\u003e (1970) ridiculed the military establishment in general—the Vietnam War in particular—under the guise of a standard military service comedy. The picaresque \u003ci\u003eWestern Little Big Man\u003c\/i\u003e (1970) turned the bluecoats vs. Indians formula upside-down—the audience roots for the Indians instead of the cavalry.    The book covers 12 essential films, including \u003ci\u003eHarold and Maude\u003c\/i\u003e (1971), \u003ci\u003eSlaughterhouse-Five\u003c\/i\u003e (1972), \u003ci\u003eOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest\u003c\/i\u003e (1975) and \u003ci\u003eBeing There\u003c\/i\u003e (1979), with notes on \u003ci\u003eA Clockwork Orange\u003c\/i\u003e (1971). These films reveal a compounding complexity that reinforces the absurdity at the heart of dark comedy.","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Company, Incorporated Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47182843347184,"sku":"9781476622514","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781476622514_p0.jpg?v=1763608634","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781476622514","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}