The Cinema of Generation X: A Critical Study
2003; Volume: 33; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1548-9922
Autores Tópico(s)Media, Gender, and Advertising
ResumoPeter Hanson. The Cinema of Generation X: A Critical Study. McFarland, 2002. 227 pages; $35.00. Troubled Generation Peter Hanson begins his enlightening study of Generation X's cinematic contributions by comparing its filmmakers to hero of The Matrix: overwhelmed by information misinformation of modern life, hero is lost and only others like him can help him find his way. Nearly all filmmakers of Generation X, Hanson explains, are on a quest to make sense of a senseless world. This study goes a long way toward making sense of a seemingly unrelated body of work. Anyone perplexed by popularity of films like Seven, Fight Club, or Pulp Fiction will find enlightenment here. While it might seem improbable that directors born within a single decade would produce films as disparate as Boogie Nights Pearl Harbor, Hanson manages to explain these polar extremes as representative of same troubled generation. Hanson begins with an admittedly restricted definition of Generation X, announcing that he will deal only with those directors born between 1961 1971. A product of those years himself, Hanson brings a personal resonance to his explanation of origins of Gen X, he grounds his study in upbringing of these culture vultures raised on vast amounts of TV, music videos, advertising, video games. Indeed, he structures book to reflect stages of this generation's maturation. He looks first at films dealing with issues of education family, moving on to work, then romance relationships, then drugs violence, political issues, finally future (science fiction). For clarity, he includes two useful appendices: brief biographies of key filmmakers a listing of notable firms. Hanson identifies onset of Gen X films as 1989 release of Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, videotape. While viewers were not ready for Soderbergh's innovative techniques in late '80s, films like Tarentino's Pulp Fiction in 1994 helped accustom filmgoers to new styles by 2000 when Soderbergh released Traffic, this type of work had gained mainstream acceptance. Explaining their decade-long transition from trendsetters to cinematic authorities, Hanson catalogues the myriad ways in which Gen X filmmakers illustrate their roles society. He succeeds admirably by mixing social cinematic history. Many people think of Generation X's role in society in terms of slackerdom. But, Hanson explains, slacking comes not from laziness or perversity but from bombardment of TV, rise of infotainment, accelerating commercialization, deepening political dysfunction, disappointing education, social upheaval in home-all factors from their childhood that have left this generation profoundly skeptical, cynical, despairing. …
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