Hollywood Abroad: Audiences and Cultural Exchange

The book covers topics from the first major penetration of American films into France, Britain and Australia through to the impact of such films as The Best Years of Our Lives and the response of Belgian young people in the age of the multiplex. The book demonstrates that the story of the reception of American films overseas is less one of hegemonic domination, than a complex adoption of 'Hollywood' into non-American 'host' cultures.

Hollywood Abroad is the first book to examine the reception of Hollywood movies by non-American audiences. Although numerous books on film history have analyzed the ways in which American films came to dominate world markets, there has so far been very little published work on how audiences outside the United States have responded to Hollywood-produced films. Hollywood Abroad explores the reception of U.S. films in Britain, France, Belgium, Turkey, Australia, India, Japan, and Central Africa. The book covers topics from the first major penetration of American films into France, Britain, and Australia to the impact of such films as The Best Years of Our Lives to the response of Belgian young people in the age of the multiplex. It demonstrates that the story of the reception of American films overseas is less one of domination than of a complex adoption of Hollywood into various cultures.

Melvyn Stokes teaches American history and film history at University College, London. Richard Maltby is Professor of Screen Studies and Head of Humanities at Flinders University in South Australia.