The Magnificent ’60s

Hollywood in the 1960s walked a tightrope between boom and bust. Yet the decade spawned many of the greatest films ever made, saw the advent of the spy thriller, the revival of science fiction and horror, and represented the Golden Era of the 70mm roadshow. Blockbusters like Lawrence of Arabia and The Sound of Music shared marquees with low-budget hits such as Lilies of the Field and Easy Rider. New stars emerged—Steve McQueen, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Sean Connery, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood and Dustin Hoffman. Veteran directors like Billy Wilder and William Wyler were joined by the post-war generation of Robert Aldrich and Stanley Kramer, and the new wave of Stanley Kubrick and John Schlesinger. This book explores a period when filmmakers embraced revolutionary attitudes to sexuality, violence and racism, and produced a bewildering list of critically acclaimed classics that remain audience favorites.

Brian Hannan writes a regular column for Cinema Retro magazine and gives lectures on film at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.

Brian Hannan

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 283
Bibliographic Info: 53 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8723-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4506-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 3
The Films 13
Conclusion 197
Appendix: Oscar Alignment 201
Chapter Notes 205
Bibliography: Sources and Books for Further Reading 255
Index 259

“Concentrates on the decade during which so many changes in attitudes and society occurred—changes reflected in the popular films of the time, many of which spawned whole genres. Hannan’s criterion for selecting films for inclusion is their earnings through theater rental fees, a measure that offers insight into the film industry and audiences of the 1960s. …recommended”—Choice