At a Theater or Drive-in Near You: The History, Culture, and Politics of the American Exploitation Film

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Overview

Millions of Americans have been thrilled, scared, titillated, and shocked by exploitation movies, low budget films with many scenes of sex, violence, and other potentially lurid elements. The term derives from the fact that promoters of such films exploit the contents in advertising that plays up the sexual or violent aspects of the films. This is the first comprehensive study of the American exploitation film to be published. It discusses five distinct genres: the teen movie, the sexploitation film, the martial ...
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Overview

Millions of Americans have been thrilled, scared, titillated, and shocked by exploitation movies, low budget films with many scenes of sex, violence, and other potentially lurid elements. The term derives from the fact that promoters of such films exploit the contents in advertising that plays up the sexual or violent aspects of the films. This is the first comprehensive study of the American exploitation film to be published. It discusses five distinct genres: the teen movie, the sexploitation film, the martial arts movie, the blaxploitation film and the lawbreaker picture. Contained within these genres are many popular American film types, including beach movies, biker pictures, and women's prison movies. The study provides a history and sociopolitical analysis of each genre, focusing on significant films in those genres. It also discusses the economics of exploitation films and their place in the motion picture industry, the development of drive-in theaters, the significance of the teenage audience, andthe effect of the videocassette. Finally, the book applies major film and cultural theories to establish an aesthetic for evaluating the exploitation film and to explore the relationship between film and audience.
(Ph.D. dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1990; revised with new preface and index)
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Editorial Reviews

Booknews
A historical and sociopolitical analysis of low-budget films that thrill, scare, titillate, and shock. Covers the large genres of the teens, sexploitation, martial arts, blaxploitation, and lawbreakers, within which are such familiar types as beach, biker, and women's prison movies. Describes specific movies; delves into the economics of exploitation films, their place in the larger industry, the role of drive-ins and teenage audiences, and the impact of videocassettes; and applies aesthetic theories to help tell good ones from bad ones. Not illustrated. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Product Details

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Ch. 1 What Are Exploitation Movies? 3
Ch. 2 Review of the Literature 13
Ch. 3 Methodology 27
Ch. 4 The Decline of the "B" and Rise of the Exploitation Film 31
Ch. 5 Teenage Films 49
Ch. 6 Sexploitation 77
Ch. 7 Lawbreaker Films 101
Ch. 8 The Martial Arts Film 129
Ch. 9 Blaxploitation Films 149
Ch. 10 Towards an Understanding of Exploitation Films 165
Afterword 179
Appendix One: Genre Filmographies 183
Appendix Two: Directors' Filmographies 195
Bibliography 213
Index of Films 217
General Index 225
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