In the world of film, Hollywood has always been the center of power; it has supplied the dominant voice. Hollywood stars and movies with their sophisticated blend of entertainment, art, and ideology have captivated audiences everywhere.

But there is another world of film, perhaps lesser known: the counter-cinema. This kind of film provides a dynamic, growing opposition-a subservice counterpoint-to Hollywood. It includes the work of radical Third World filmmakers, the women's movement, gays and lesbians, and the independent left. It is a practice that identifies with political movements in society and has developed a conscious critique of the dominant cinema.

The essays in this collection bring together an integrated analysis of Hollywood and the counter-cinema, and call for a political criticism of the cinema.

About the Author

Peter Steven is a professor of film studies at Sheridan College, near Toronto. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University and has enjoyed the privilege of working with Jump Cut for forty years. He edited an anthology of articles from the first years of the magazine, titled Jump Cut: Hollywood, Politics and Counter-Cinema (Between the Lines, 1985). He is also the author of several books on film and the media, including About Canada: Media (Fernwood Books, 2011), The News (Groundwood Books, 2011), The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Media (New Internationalist, 2010), and Brink of Reality: New Canadian Documentary Film and Video (Between the Lines, 1994).

Review

"An extremely valuable collection...All the articles are good. Some are spectacular. Virtually all are accessible to people new to film criticism." -- Books in Canada