Underground U.S.A.: Filmmaking Beyond the Hollywood Canon

Book Overview

Whether defined by the carnivalesque excesses of Troma studios (The Toxic Avenger), the arthouse erotica of Radley Metzger and Doris Wishman, or the narrative experimentations of Abel Ferrara, Melvin Van Peebles, Jack Smith, or Harmony Korine, underground cinema has achieved an important position within American film culture. Often defined as "cult" and "exploitation" or "alternative" and "independent," the American underground retains separate strategies of production and exhibition from the cinematic mainstream, while its sexual and cinematic representations differ from the traditionally conservative structures of the Hollywood system. Underground U.S.A. offers a fascinating overview of this area of maverick moviemaking by considering the links between the experimental and exploitative traditions of the American underground.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231162790
• ISBN13: 9780231162791
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Wallflower Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.1" x 9.1"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent!

Excellent collection of essays on a wide variety of "underground" cinema films and figures, from Troma to Harry Smith. Essays run the gamut from academic to more accessible and informative, overall a great collection of writing on the subject. One minor complaint, though: in the last few chapters, the illustrations look badly distorted and pixellated. Weird error!