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BENEATH THE BLUE SUBURBAN SKIES |
Introduction |
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The rapid growth of suburbs following World War II drew a great deal of attention from social analysts, and it was in this period that movies with distinctly suburban themes began to appear. The number of films in which a suburban setting plays a significant role is substantial and growing rapidly, but the film industry has always been somewhat out of step with the times in terms of its depiction of suburban life. Films engaged in social criticism have also typically been several years behind the debate in scholarly circles. The reason for this is that Hollywood films have long relied on stereotypes in their depictions of suburban life, although these stereotypes have changed somewhat over time. In the years following World War II suburbia was most often depicted as a country home in Connecticut, while in contemporary movies the most identifiable features of the suburban landscape are the cul-de-sac and the shopping mall. A consistent characteristic of films throughout this period, however, is that suburban settings are used to depict affluence.
A number of different themes have been explored in suburban movies. In the years immediately following World War II, films set in suburbs tended to view suburbia as a refuge from the difficulties of city life, particularly for a man with a family. As time went on, however, Hollywood's view of suburbs changed dramatically. In the questioning atmosphere of the 1960s many films emphasized the emptiness of the lives of suburban dwellers. Horror and suspense films in which the tranquility of the suburban environment was shattered were especially popular beginning in the 1970s. The plot of these movies revolved around the introduction of some external threat into a placid environment. By the next decade the threat was no longer an external one, as the 1980s saw the rise of the films exploring the dark side of suburban life. Films dealing with adolescent themes became common in the 1970s as this segment of the population has become a significant part of the movie-going audience. Examples of all of these themes are evident in films throughout the postwar era, but a number of significant films have brought themes to dominance at different times. |
The Suburb as Refuge  |
Images of Suburbia in American Movies |
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