Hollywood Shot by Shot: Alcoholism in American Cinema
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Author Description
To what extent have Hollywood feature films shaped the meanings that Americans attach to alcoholics, their families, and the alcoholic condition? To what extent has the mass culture of the movie industry itself been conceptually shaped by a broad, external societal discourse? Norman Denzin brings to his life-long study of alcoholism a searching interest in how cultural texts signify and lend themselves to interpretation within a social nexus. Both historical and diachronic in his approach, Denzin identifies five periods in the alcoholism films made between 1932 and the end of the 1980s, and offers a detailed critical reading of thirty-seven films produced during these six decades.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates how Hollywood cinema has constructed and reinforced societal perceptions of alcoholism and the alcoholic condition throughout the twentieth century. Norman K. Denzin, a prominent sociologist, utilizes a cultural studies framework to analyze the reciprocal relationship between mass media and public discourse. By examining the evolution of cinematic representations, he argues that films do not merely reflect reality but actively shape the meanings audiences attach to addiction and family dynamics.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A diachronic analysis of alcoholism films spanning from 1932 to the late 1980s.
- A categorization of cinematic depictions into five distinct historical periods.
- Detailed critical readings of thirty-seven specific feature films.
- A sociological methodology that situates cultural texts within their broader social and historical nexus.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in media and sociology frequently cite this text for its rigorous application of interpretive sociology to film analysis. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational resource for those examining the intersection of mass culture and public health discourse.
Page Count:
309
Publication Date:
1991-12-31
Publisher:
Routledge
ISBN-10:
0202303446
ISBN-13:
9780202303444
Sociology
Media Studies
Social Aspects
Film Studies
Alcoholism
Addiction Studies
