Preface: The children of Hitchcock -- Birth of that nation -- William Faulkner and the ghosts of tobacco road -- Tennessee Williams and the terrors of the flesh -- Deep South sleaze amidst Louisiana decay -- The Florida experiment -- Bigger than Texas -- Old-time religion and the Klan -- Night of the hunter and the southern horrors -- Winter in Dixieland, crime ans southern noir -- Nashville, country, soul, blues, gutbucket, and the king -- Good times at the '90s cafe -- President Bush and the endless wars -- Black (un)like me -- Epilogue: Other voices, other rooms.
Summary:
Many of American cinema's most defining movies have roots in the South. Be they films that excite (No Country for Old Men), amuse (My Cousin Vinny), or disturb (Deliverance), Southern movies remain some of the most evocative in modern filmmaking. The South Never Plays Itself examines the historical and cultural legacy of the South and the silver screen, a relationship as tangled and inextricable as Spanish moss. From the racist propaganda of The Birth of a Nation to the twangy romp of Altman's Nashville, the South's incongruous and complex character has been explored throughout the short but storied history of film. In The South Never Plays Itself, author Ben Beard describes the Southern myths and truths these films share with American moviegoers-- Provided by publisher.
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