[David Sutton,Peter Wogan]Hollywood Blockbusters : The Anthropology of Popular Movies(pdf){Zzzzz}

Why do Jaws, Field of Dreams, The Big Lebowski, and The Godfather remain strikingly popular in this age of fragmented audiences and ever-faster spin cycles? Hollywood Blockbusters argues that these films continue to captivate audiences because they play upon underlying tensions and problems in American culture, much like the myths that anthropologists study in non-Western contexts. In making this argument, the authors employ and extend anthropological theories about ritual, kinship, gift giving, power, egalitarianism, literacy, metalinguistics, stereotypes, and the mysteries of the Other. The results—original insights into modern film classics, American culture, and anthropological theory—will appeal to students of Film, Media, Anthropology, Sociology, and Cultural Studies.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic (January 5, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1847884857
ISBN-13: 978-1847884855


Editorial Reviews
Review
Hollywood Blockbusters is anthropological theorizing at its filmic best. Sutton and Wogan have translated complex anthropological concepts and debates into a rich analysis of popular motion pictures, giving us both a window into the value of anthropological sensibilities and a new interpretation of well-known Hollywood offerings. This wonderful book helps to counter claims about anthropology's marginal status in contemporary discussions about mainstream American culture, and will be an essential read for both students and scholars. John L. Jackson, Jr., Richard Perry University, Professor of Communication and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania

About the Author
DAVID SUTTON is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University.
PETER WOGAN is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Willamette University.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Discusses cultural aspects of why these movies have remained so popular
By Adam on February 25, 2010
First, I work at Willamette. That said, I gain nothing from this review, and though lots of professors write lots of books, I read this one because it looked interesting to me. I am using some of the verbiage I wrote on Willamette's site, because I think it does a good job of explaining what the book is about.

"Hollywood Blockbusters: The Anthropology of Popular Movies" delves into the cultural underpinnings of American society by looking at movies through the lens of an anthropologist. If anthropological jargon bothers you, skip the second part of the introduction in which he reviews some of the other anthropological analyses that have been done on movies. Wogan does a great job of explaining the minimal jargon he uses, and the references in the intro served to reinforce my appreciation for his talent in explaining these concepts in everyday language.

Wogan explored the visceral connection people feel with these popular movies through a class that he teaches each year at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. In Wogan's "Survey of Anthropological Theory" class, he used "Jaws" to explore underlying tensions in American culture in the same way that anthropologists study myths in non-Western contexts. These classroom discussions over several years at Willamette, and in one of Sutton's classes at Southern Illinois University, informed the arguments made within the book.

Among other aspects of these blockbuster movies, the authors consider the nature of linguistics in "The Big Lebowski," and they discuss the nature of boundaries in "Field of Dreams." Wogan and Sutton also include a less commercially successful movie, "The Village," to explore and contrast with movies that have become deeply interwoven into American culture.