4TH AMERICAN CINEMA

KatherineAustonAshleyTyler

DestinyJeremiahBreeDylan

IzabelleDanielKristenEthan Garrett Caley Blake

Lexie Dawson Mackenzie Rayven

Kait Chelsea Marie Phylisity

INTO THE 21ST

CENTURY

END OF THE COLD WAR

• Common theme of rejuvenation and starting over from American society was reflected in films of the 80’s• Theme of crossing boundaries and making ties

with others also popular (Star Trek II esp.)• Still many connections to espionage and dangers

of other “bad” governments remain popular

NOSTALGIC RETURN TO THE PAST

• Attempt to recover the small-town, affluent American paradise• Poverty, crime, homelessness, and the rise of

divorce made people long for old time purity of the America of the past

THEME OF INNOCENCE

• Rejection of big city life in favor of suburbs and rural life• Return to nature• The high school and shopping mall (malls

represent rampant consumerism of the 80’s)

BE ALL YOU CAN BE

• Late 80s revisited the US military• Used to help clean the bad experience of Vietnam

from the peoples minds• Hotshot soldiers, especially pilots, became a

common theme• Incorporated all branches of the armed forces• Helped restore the confidence of Americans in the

armed forces

PARENTS AND BABIES

• Baby boomers of the 50s and 60s started have a boom of babies again in the 70s and 80s• Parenting practices, conventional and

unconventional became a common topic of movies• Child stars become important actors in films

TECHNOLOGY

• New technology, especially video games and the internet, change the face of Hollywood• Distinction between games and films become less

distinct – many games become movies and movies become games• Big action sequences become common to both

games and film• Fully digital movies become popular

entertainment (Avatar)

FANTASY FILMS

• Entire worlds are constructed that very unlike our own (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc)• Cartoons allow audiences to explore worlds that

exist, but from fantasy perspectives (Lion King, Monsters, Inc, etc.)• Characters do uncanny things and engage the

audience’s imagination

OUR FILMS

• 1980’s – Big (1988) – Penny Marshall• 1990’s – The Shawshank Redemption (1994) –

Frank Darabont• 2000’s – Gladiator (2000) – Ridley Scott• 2010-2015 – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) –

James Gunn