"Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman - towering names of filmmakers who have defined modern American cinema. In this twentieth anniversary edition, Kolker continues his inquiry into the cinematic representation of culture by updating and revising the chapters on these directors to include their most important works since 1988. Here, he analyzes those films that have made important advances in their careers and that have given cause for rethinking the films that preceded them. Included is a profile of Arthur Penn's career, followed by a new comparative study of Oliver Stone, who mirrors Penn's practice of drawing his films out of historical and ideological currents." "Placing the films of these influential artists in an ideological perspective, Kolker both illuminates their relationship to one another and to larger currents in our culture and emphasizes the statements their films make about American society. This edition includes a new preface, an epitaph for Stanley Kubrick, updated filmography, and ninety images from various films discussed through the text."--BOOK JACKET.