A history of the American cinema in the 1980s, looking at how the film industry responded to the crisis of escalating costs and stagnant revenues; the threat posed by videotape, video disk, pay-cable, and pay-per-view; and the accompanying wave of mergers and acquisitions.
Content Note
Industry at the dawn of the decade -- Merger mania -- Brave new ancillary world -- Independents, packaging, and inflationary pressure in 1980s Hollywood -- Talent oligopoly -- Filmmakers -- Genres and production cycles -- Movies and morality -- American documentary in the 1980s -- Experimental cinema in the 1980s -- List of tables and charts -- Top box-office films of the 1980s -- Major academy awards, 1980-1989 -- National film registry.