Diseased Cinema: Plagues, Pandemics and Zombies in American Movies

Movies about infectious diseases have reflected and driven dominant cultural narratives during the past century, shifting from a contained outbreak to a globalized pandemic of an unknown origin. They have changed from identifying and solving social problems to a despair and acceptance of America's failure to fulfill its historic social contract. Today's disease movies minimize human differences and envisage a utopian new world order to advance the needs of contemporary American capitalism, shaping reactions to the outbreak of Covid and reinforcing individual responsibility as the solution.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Introduction:

Movies about infectious diseases have become a popular genre in American culture since the beginning of the 21st century. These films, both real pandemics and imagined zombie outbreaks, have reflected and driven dominant cultural narratives during the past century. They have shifted from featuring a contained outbreak to an imagined containment of a known disease to a globalized, uncontainable pandemic of an unknown origin. Movie narratives have changed from identifying and solving social problems to a despair and acceptance of America's failure to fulfil its historic social contract. Movies reflect and drive developments in American capitalism that increasingly advocate for individuals and their families, rather than communities and the public good. Disease movies today minimize human differences and envisage a utopian new world order to advance the needs of contemporary American capitalism. These movie narratives shaped reactions to the outbreak of Covid and reinforced individual responsibility as the solution.

Changes to the Disease Movie Genre:

Examines disease movies as a genre that has emerged over the last century and includes pandemic and zombie films. Reveals the changes to the genre's narratives over three broad time periods: the beginning of film through the 1980s, the 1990s through the mid-2000s, and the late 2000s and afterward. Investigates the evolution of disease movies through three perspectives: historically notable films, remakes, and franchises. Analyses disease movies in the context of the development of American, global capitalism, and the fragmentation of the social contract. Explains the role of disease movie narratives in the American experience of Covid.

Historically Notable Films:

Discusses the early disease movies that focused on social problems and the role of government in addressing them. Examples include "The Great Influenza" (1918), which depicted the devastating effects of the Spanish flu pandemic, and "1984" (1984), which depicted a dystopian future in which government surveillance and control were extreme. Examines the shift in disease movie narratives towards a more apocalyptic and globalized perspective in the 1990s and 2000s. Examples include "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004), which depicted a global climate catastrophe, and "Contagion" (2011), which depicted a global pandemic of a deadly virus. Discusses the role of technology in disease movie narratives, with a focus on the use of advanced medical technology to combat the disease. Examples include "The Terminator" (1984), which depicted a future in which artificial intelligence was used to create a deadly virus, and "28 Days Later" (2002), which depicted a virus that spreads rapidly through human contact.

Remakes and Franchises:

Discusses the trend of remaking classic disease movies and the impact of this on the genre. Examples include "The Thing" (2011), which was a remake of the 1982 classic, and "The Hunger Games" (2012), which was a franchise that included several movies about a dystopian future in which government control was extreme. Examines the use of remakes and franchises to appeal to a broader audience and to capitalize on the popularity of existing franchises. Discusses the potential risks and benefits of this trend, including the potential for diluting the original message of the movie and the potential for creating new cultural narratives.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, American movies about infectious diseases have reflected and driven dominant cultural narratives during the past century. These movies have shifted from featuring a contained outbreak to an imagined containment of a known disease to a globalized, uncontainable pandemic of an unknown origin. Movie narratives have changed from identifying and solving social problems to a despair and acceptance of America's failure to fulfil its historic social contract. Movies reflect and drive developments in American capitalism that increasingly advocate for individuals and their families, rather than communities and the public good. Disease movies today minimize human differences and envisage a utopian new world order to advance the needs of contemporary American capitalism. These movie narratives shaped reactions to the outbreak of Covid and reinforced individual responsibility as the solution.

Weight: 520g
Dimension: 163 x 244 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399521659