The Ima Ginary Geography of Hollyw Ood Cinema 1960
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CHRISTIAN B. LONG THE IMAGINARY GEOGRAPHY OF HOLLYWOOD CINEMA 1960–2000 CINEMA GEOGRAPHY OF HOLLYWOOD THE IMAGINARY The Imaginary Geography of Hollywood Cinema 1960–2000 combines digital cartography with close readings of representative films from 1960–2000. Christian B. Long offers a unique history of twentieth-century Hollywood narrative cinema, one that is focused on the intersection of the geographies of narrative location, production, consumption and taste in the era before the rise of digital cinema. Long redraws the boundaries of film history, both literally and figuratively, by cataloguing films’ narrative locations on digital maps in order to illustrate where Hollywood actually locates its narratives over time. Christian B. Long works at Queensland University of Technology and is an honorary research fellow at the University of Queensland. 1960–2000 ISBN 978-1-78320-829-6 00 9 781783 208296 intellect | www.intellectbooks.com The Imaginary Geography of Hollywood Cinema 1960–2000 4HE4RUSTUS0LAYS Why We Make Art at why it is taught The Imaginary Geography of Hollywood Cinema 1960–2000 4HE4RUSTUS0LAYSby Richard Hickman Why We Make Art at why it is taught Christian B. Long Ê/ÕÌÌi by Richard Hickman Ê/ÕÌÌi ^ciZaaZXi7g^hida!J@8]^XV\d!JH6 ^ciZaaZXi7g^hida!J@8]^XV\d!JH6 First published in the UK in 2017 by Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK First published in the USA in 2017 by Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA This ebook is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover designer: Aleksandra Szumlas Copy-editor: MPS Technologies Production editor: Jessica Lovett Typesetting: John Teehan ISBN 978-1-78320-829-6 ePDF ISBN 978-1-78320-830-2 ePub ISBN 978-1-78320-831-9 Printed and bound by Short Run. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access for the public good. The Open Access ISBN for this book is 978-1-78320-830-2. More information about the initiative and links to the Open Access version can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org. Imaginary_Geography_book.indd 4 3/6/18 4:29 PM Contents Images and Maps vii Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Where Is Hollywood Cinema? 1 Chapter 1 Burt Reynolds Brings the New South to Hollywood 33 Chapter 2 New Hollywood, the Contemporary Midwest, and Collective Action 57 Chapter 3 Getting Around the Suburbs in the Blockbuster Era’s Big Hits 93 Colour Maps 119 Chapter 4 Politics for Couch Potatoes: Video Rental Success Stories 135 Chapter 5 Imagining More for Medium-Sized Cities, 1975–2000 167 Chapter 6 It’s Not Such a Small World After All: Disney Live Action Films in the 1960s 197 Conclusion: Where Isn’t Hollywood Cinema? 229 References 239 Notes 269 Index 273 Images and Maps Image 1. Malcolm X in Omaha, Nebraska. Image 2. Malcolm X George Wallace in the school house door. Image 3. Malcolm X US flag at Boston bussing protest. Image 4. Malcolm X Nelson Mandela. Image 5. Malcolm X travelling shot in crowd, scene 1. Image 6. Malcolm X travelling shot in crowd, scene 2. Image 7. Deliverance building a hydroelectric dam. Image 8. Sharky’s Machine ‘I’m freezing to death’ in Atlanta. Image 9. Sharky’s Machine Peachtree Plaza Hotel and film title. Image 10. Sharky’s Machine surveillance, reflected buildings and highway. Image 11. Sharky’s Machine surveillance and Peachtree Plaza Hotel. Image 12. Sharky’s Machine Peachtree Plaza Hotel dissolve. Image 13. Semi-Tough Miami establishing shot. Image 14. Smokey and the Bandit Cledus’s house. Image 15. Sharky’s Machine Sharky’s childhood home. vii The Imaginary Geography of Hollywood Cinema 1960–2000 Image 16. Five Easy Pieces in southern California oil field. Image 17. The Wild Angels oil field stretches out during credits. Image 18. The Last Picture Show Duane’s work truck, Marshal Oil Odessa. Image 19. Badlands drilling for oil. Image 20. Badlands trip gas from the pipeline. Image 21. Medium Cool ‘you want to talk to someone?’ Image 22. Medium Cool explanation with no reaction shot. Image 23. Medium Cool first direct address. Image 24. Medium Cool second direct address. Image 25. Medium Cool second direct address, making finger gun. Image 26. Medium Cool rhyming shot. Image 27. Blue Collar capital dwarfs labour. Image 28. Blue Collar final image in freeze frame. Image 29. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Wrigley Field establishing shot. Image 30. Wayne’s World The Mirthmobile in the suburbs. Image 31. Wayne’s World cars on a spike sculpture. Image 32. Wayne’s World Stan Mikita’s Donuts, Aurora, Illinois. Image 33. The Flamingo Kid Marine Parkway Bridge. Image 34. Gorky Park Lenin portrait makes Helsinki Moscow. Image 35. Gorky Park Arkady’s apartment building. Image 36. The Emerald Forest building a hydroelectric dam in Brazil. viii Images and Maps Image 37. Under Fire Chad, Africa, for the geographically illiterate. Image 38. Under Fire Alex gets shot in POV shot. Image 39. Nashville Welcome to Nashville. Image 40. Coal Miner’s Daughter Grand Ole Opry establishing shot 1. Image 41. Coal Miner’s Daughter Grand Ole Opry establishing shot 2. Image 42. Wag the Dog Nashville skyline establishing shot. Image 43. Wag the Dog Nashville establishing shot 2. Image 44. Rain Man Las Vegas cranes. Image 45. Casino Catholic School and baseball field. Image 46. Bob Roberts limited view of Pittsburgh. Image 47. In Search of the Castaways Māori carving with ping pong ball eyes. Image 48. In Search of the Castaways Rangatira (Chief) Inia Te Wiata and marker pen moko’d toa (warriors). Image 49. Bon Voyage! Eiffel Tower in establishing shot. Image 50. Bon Voyage! Eiffel Tower in home movies. Image 51. Bon Voyage! peeping tom/Peeping Tom. Image 52. Monkeys Go Home! slogan that echoes French revolution. Image 53. Monkeys Go Home! slogan that echoes anti-imperialist call. Image 54. Monkeys Go Home! free labour. ix The Imaginary Geography of Hollywood Cinema 1960–2000 Map 1. African Americans Nominated for an Oscar. Map 2. Cities in Kerner Report and National Park Service Civil Rights Historic Sites. Map 3. African American Prestige Films and History. Map 4. Box Office Hits 1970–1981. Map 5. Box Office Hits 1970–1981 – South. Map 6. Box Office Hits 1970–1981 – South. Map 7. New Hollywood Films. Map 8. New Hollywood Films. Map 9. Top 10 Hits before Jaws’ Release. Map 10. Top 10 Hits after Jaws’ Release. Map 11. Top 25 Video Rentals Compared to Top 25 Box Office. Map 12. Top 25 Video Rentals Compared to Top 25 Box Office – New York Area. Map 13. Top 25 Video Rentals Compared to Top 25 Box Office – Europe. Map 14. Top 25 Video Rentals Compared to Top 25 Box Office – Central and South America. Map 15. First-Fifth Order Cities (based on Borchert, 1967). Map 16. Prestige Films Set in 20 Largest US Cities. Map 17. Cities in the 100-Largest List that Do Not Appear in Prestige Films. Map 18. Prestige Films Set in Medium-Sized Cities. Map 19. Disney Films Setting. Map 20. Disney Films Set in Europe. x Images and Maps Map 21. Disney Films Set in Asia-Pacific. Map 22. Poorest Counties and Box Office and Prestige Film Settings. xi Acknowledgments I’ve followed Jennifer Clement from New Hampshire to Nashville to Christchurch to Brisbane, and I’ll keep following her anywhere she goes. Her love, patience, encourage- ment, and critical eye made this book possible and better. Thanks and love to my parents, Brad Long and Paula Giallombardo, to my sisters, Megan, Colleen, and Killian, and to Dave, Rachel, Grace, Piper, Max, and Matt. Every three years isn’t frequent enough to see everyone. Three of my favourite people in the world died too young, first among them my mom, who did every good thing a person can do, and often. Vinnie Giallombardo was my best friend growing up, and Frank Ward was a far better friend than I deserved. They were my two main movie-watching companions, and it’s lonelier in the theatre without them. Thanks to my stateside friends John Foersterling, Rob Garcia, and Chris Simich. Mark Maguire, whether in New Zealand, Ireland, or Spain is aces. More than anyone, Jonathan Lamb and Bridget Orr made moving to the Antipodes possible. I’m lucky to have known Clarence. He was this man’s best friend. All the critters I’ve shared the house with – Emma, Oswald, Armstrong, Castor, Pollux, Isa, and all the foster cats – have been great pals. I love Christchurch, and it was hard to move away. My neighbours in Sumner were an inspiration after the February 2011 quake. Without the great people at that national treasure Alice in Videoland, film culture in Christchurch would be greatly diminished. I owe significant debts to Phil Armstrong, Dan Bedggood, Lloyd Carpenter, Gareth Cordery, Patrick Evans, Douglas Horrell, the late Howard McNaughton, Paul Millar, James Smithies, Christina Stucharski, Mary Wiles, Alan Wright, and Nicholas Wright. I owe an even larger debt to Jennifer Middendorf, who made sure that even in chaos, things got accomplished. Thanks to the Tertiary Education Union for winning a few fights.