hollywood utopia ecology in contemporary american cinema

[...]... how films promote broadly utopian values Meanings continually shift and slide within Hollywood cinema Utopianism versus Ideology Utopianism can be broadly defined as the desire for a better way of living expressed in the description of a different kind of society that makes possible an alternative way of life Utopianism has a long and distinguished pedigree and has informed thinkers from the Frankfurt... Lynch Terminator (1984) James Cameron Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) James Cameron Thelma and Louise (1991) Ridley Scott Them(1954) Gordon Douglas Titanic (1997) James Cameron Twister (1996) Jan De Bont Waterworld (1995) Kevin Reynolds 10 Hollywood Utopia Yearling, The (1946) Clarence Brown 1 HOLLYWOOD UTOPIA: ECOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CINEMA Prologue Ecology has become a new, all-inclusive,... strategy, focusing on power inequalities across class, gender and race boundaries, continues to preoccupy critical analysis of Hollywood cinema, there is little if any critical engagement with the more allencompassing phenomenon of ecology Yet, if so-called ecological readings are to remain critical and avoid degenerating into endorsing ‘naive’ polemics, they must explicitly foreground a variety of interpretations... School to Ernst Bloch and Fredric Jameson.13 The 1 Hollywood Utopia 21 As a relatively modern phenomenon, however, ecology remains a totalising concept, which is inclusive rather than exclusive.12 This naturally causes severe problems in trying to create and maintain strict guidelines and terms of reference As Tim Unwin postulates, ‘it would be difficult to find a set of issues which symbolise more vividly... relations and political institutions is projected onto the vision of place and landscape, including the human body’ (Jameson 1991: 160) This notion of continuous change as preferable to a finished utopia, which would inevitably only be utopic for some, has influenced much progressive utopian thinking and can be seen most clearly in the exploration of counter-cultural agency as evidenced within road movies Harvey... of building bridges and creating crossconnections between film and other disciplines In particular, the investigation draws on Geography (space/place, tourism and so on), Philosophy (aesthetics, ethics and ontological debates), Anthropology, Feminism and Cultural Studies, while maintaining close contact with the traditional literary and historical disciplines In the light of this cross-disciplinary approach,... illustrated in detail in subsequent chapters, most notably through a comparative study of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Contact (1997) But to begin this process of analysis, a working definition of ecological utopianism needs to be outlined by tracing its historical, cultural and theoretical antecedents Particular emphasis will be placed on the divisions between ‘deep’ and ‘light’ (shallow) ecology. .. ideological domination which preoccupied much academic debate over the last few decades provided a primary focus for beginning to appreciate how ecology could be understood within this cultural context.14 Having laid aside the working class as the agents of changing history, the Frankfurt School had difficulty in finding an alternative locus of action Herbert Marcuse, especially, put his faith in youthful... is also reflected in the tensions inherent in ideological critiques and the debates about utopianism to be explored later Finally, before an evolving prototype for the textual analysis of film can be considered, a survey of philosophical/ political positions will also be used to illustrate critical positions emerging from ecology In many ways, ecology has become the most dominant and inclusive discourse... by forging connections between ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ Harvey passionately concludes his inspiring 1996 treatise by asserting: If the current rhetoric about handing on a decent living environment to future generations is to have even one iota of meaning, we owe it to subsequent generations to invest now in a collective and very public search for some way to understand the possibilities of achieving a . Kevin Reynolds Yearling, The (1946) Clarence Brown 10 Hollywood Utopia Hollywoodutopialayout 20/10/04 4:54 pm Page 10 1 HOLLYWOOD UTOPIA: ECOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CINEMA Prologue Ecology. 20/10/04 4:54 pm Page 2 Hollywood Utopia Ecology in Contemporary American Cinema Pat Brereton Hollywoodutopialayout 20/10/04 4:54 pm Page 3 First Published in the UK in 2005 by Intellect Books, PO. Wendi Momen 4 Hollywood Utopia Hollywoodutopialayout 20/10/04 4:54 pm Page 4 Contents 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9 FILMOGRAPHY 11 1. HOLLYWOOD UTOPIA: ECOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CINEMA 51 2. NATURE