The Sixties: 1960-1969

Amid the turbulence of political assassinations, the civil rights struggle, and antiwar protests, American society was experiencing growing affluence and profound cultural change during the 1960s. The film industry gradually redirected its energies, resulting in a distinctive break from traditional business and stylistic practice and emergence of a new "cinema of sensation." Feature films became faster-paced and more graphic, the antihero took his place alongside the classic Hollywood hero, and "downer" films like Midnight Cowboy proved as popular as those with upbeat fare. Paul Monaco gives a sweeping view of this exhilarating decade, ranging from the visceral sensation of Bonnie and Clyde, to the comic-book satire of Dr. Strangelove, to the youthful alienation of The Graduate.

"I think this is a fine volume, one that maintains the high quality of other volumes in the series while making major contributions in its own right. . .a strong, well-argued and well-structured study."—Dana Polan, University of Southern California

"Monaco is especially good at explaining economic and technical trends during the decade. He clearly and succinctly charts the major changes in modes of film exhibition, and he provides helpful accounts of new developments in cameras, lenses, color stock, sound recording, etc., in all cases showing how such things influenced film style. One feature of his book I particularly liked is the detailed attention he gives to the major stars of the decade, and to the groundbreaking directors and films."—James Naremore, author of More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts

Library Journal

Nowhere was the cultural upheaval of the 1960s more dramatically expressed than in the motion picture industry. Groundbreaking films such as The Wild Bunch, Dr. Strangelove, and Easy Rider marked a sharp contrast to the predominately tame, conventional fare of the previous decade. Monaco (cinema and video, Montana State Univ.) skillfully delineates this transformation. While the big studio system faded, the old downtown movie theaters and outdoor drive-ins were gradually replaced by a proliferation of multiplexes owned by corporate conglomerates. Adherence to the time-honored Hollywood "Production Code" significantly relaxed, resulting in more sexually frank films, such as Blow-Up and I Am Curious (Yellow), and an increase in screen violence, exemplified by Bonnie and Clyde. The author provides detailed analyses of the technical aspects of filmmaking innovations and advances in editing, such as the jump-cuts and fast/slow motion so effectively used in A Hard Day's Night. He also explores the changes in soundtrack music, caused by the termination of studios' in-house orchestras, and the disappointments of the avant-garde film genre. Highly recommended for cinema collections. Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Paul Monaco is Professor of Cinema/Video at Montana State University, Bozeman. Among his books are Understanding Society, Culture, and Television (1998) and Ribbons in Time: Movies and Society since 1945 (1987). He has twice received Fulbright fellowships to Germany.