This book examines the ideology of the most enduring most popular cinema in the world--the Hollywood movie. Aided by 364 frame enlargements, Robert B. Ray analyzes the development of that historically overdetermined form, giving close readings of five typical instances: Casablanca., It's a Wonderful Life, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Godfather, and Taxi Driver.Like the heroes of these movies, American filmmaking has avoided commitment, in both plot and technique. Instead of choosing left or right, avant-garde of tradition, American cinema tries to have it both ways.
