Monsters in the Machine: Science Fiction Film and the Militarization of America after World War II Hardcover – June 20, 2016

Description

Review Hantke offers a solid overview of the numerous films in the horror science fiction genre of the 1950s and their cultural effect on the period. . . . Comprehensive, richly detailed, and expertly written, this book abounds with surprising insights. (G. A. Foster CHOICE)This study on horror/science fiction movies brings a lot of fresh energy in the evaluation and appreciation of this movie variety (Pop Culture Shelf) Read more Book Description A vital and engaging look at the political contexts surrounding 1950s sci-fi films. Hantke showcases the importance of neglected films like Invasion U.S.A. and I Married a Monster from Outer Space while expertly tracing new patterns across the genre. (Blair Davis, author of The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema)With admirable scope and lucidity, Monsters in the Machine insightfully analyzes sci-fi films of the postwar period to expose the cultural politics and political ethos of an era dominated by the aura of World War II and the nuclear shadow it cast over Henry Luce's 'American Century.' Providing rich touchstones for the major tensions and contradictions that informed the grotesque mechanisms of the Cold War, Monsters in the Machine should be required reading for any course on American Cold War culture. (Alan Nadel, author of Containment Culture: American Narratives, Postmodernism, and the Atomic Age and Flatlining on the Field of Dreams: Cultural Narratives in the Films of President Reagan's America) Read more About the Author Steffen Hantke has written on contemporary literature, film, and culture. He is author of Conspiracy and Paranoia in Contemporary Literature as well as editor of Horror Film: Creating and Marketing Fear and American Horror Film: The Genre at the Turn of the Millennium. Read more