The Lost Decade: Altman, Coppola, Friedkin and the Hollywood Renaissance Auteur in the 1980s

The 1980s in Hollywood were a diverse and complex response to political and industrial changes, with key directors such as Robert Altman, Francis Coppola, William Friedkin, and others continuing to work creatively despite a narrow, singular model of American film history. This book offers a new way to perceive individual films, American film history, and the viability of sustained authorial creativity within post-studio era Hollywood.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 16 November 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Hollywood in the 1980s is often portrayed as a period of decline, with a monolithic pattern of filmmaking characterized by blockbuster movies and 'Reaganite entertainment. However, a more nuanced and complex analysis reveals that the careers of directors like Robert Altman, Francis Coppola, William Friedkin, and others during this era were diverse and complex responses to political and industrial changes.

The dominant view of late 1960s and early 1970s American film history is often characterized as a "Hollywood Renaissance," a relatively brief window of artistry centered around a select group of directors. This narrative overlooks the fact that key directors associated with the Renaissance period continued to make films throughout the 1980s, and their work has been obscured or dismissed by a narrow, singular model of American film history.

This book aims to provide a fresh perspective on Hollywood in the 1980s by examining the careers of these directors and their films. It seeks to challenge the notion that the 1980s were a period of decline and instead presents a more nuanced understanding of the industry. The book explores the industrial contexts that conditioned these directors' ability to work creatively, while also delving into the analysis of individual films. It brings to light a range of unheralded work, from the visual experimentation of Coppola's One from the Heart (1981) to the experimental production contexts of Altman's Secret Honor (1984) and the stylistic élan of Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).

Behind the homogenous picture of the decline of the auteur in 1980s American cinema, there are films and careers that merit greater attention. This book offers a new way to perceive individual films, American film history, and the viability of sustained authorial creativity within the post-studio era Hollywood. By examining the work of these directors and their films, this book provides a deeper understanding of the complexities and diversity of Hollywood in the 1980s and challenges the notion that the era was characterized solely by blockbuster movies and 'Reaganite entertainment.'

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 159 x 237 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501394454