Events of the past decade have dramatically rewritten the American national narrative, bringing to light an alternate history of nation, marked since the country’s origins by competing geopolitical interests, by mobility and migration, and by contending ethnic and racial groups.
In this revised and expanded edition ofFilm Nation, Robert Burgoyne analyzes films that give shape to the counternarrative that has emerged since 9/11—one that challenges the traditional myths of the American nation-state. The films examined here, Burgoyne argues, reveal the hidden underlayers of nation, from the first interaction between Europeans and Native Americans (The New World), to the clash of ethnic groups in nineteenth-century New York (Gangs of New York), to the haunting persistence of war in the national imagination (Flags of Our FathersandLetters from Iwo Jima) and the impact of the events of 9/11 on American identity (United 93andWorld Trade Center).
Film Nationprovides innovative readings of attempts by such directors as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, and Oliver Stone to visualize historical events that have acquired a mythical aura in order to open up the past to the contemporary moment.
"Film Nationis distinguished by Robert Burgoyne’s critical acuity, his on-the-money remarks about the subjects he interrogates, as well as the singularity of his focus on American Cinema and the ways by which film suggests much about American national identity." —Cineaste
"InFilm NationRobert Burgoyne argues that popular film plays a crucial role in formulating the imagined community of the nation state. A rewarding read." —Film and History
"Film Nationrewards the reader with a continuous flow of stimulating ideas about how to discuss the content of recent history lCI
![Film Nation Hollywood Looks at U.S. History, Revised Edition [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/3/6/7/2_228931.jpg)