Hollywood's Melodramatic Imagination: Film Noir, the Western and Other Genres from the 1920s to the 1950s

by Geoff Mayer

Melodrama is the foundation of American cinema. It is, however, a poorly understood term. While it is a pervasive and persuasive dramatic mode, it is not tied to any specific moral or ideological system. It is not a singular genre; rather, it operates as a "genre generating machine" capable of determining the aesthetics and structure of the drama within many genres. Melodrama centers the conflict around the clash between good and evil and provides...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476674779
• ISBN13: 9781476674773
• Release Date: December 2021
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 365 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.9" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up