Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature, Indiana University Bloomington and the author of several books, including The Off-Screen: An Investigation of the Cinematic Frame (Stanford, 2017).

"Anyone interested in American film, the unique potential of cinema, the fate of the idea of American exceptionalism, or the uniquely American experience of modernity, will find Peretz's thoughtful readings of the films he discusses provocative, insightful, and invaluable." - Robert Pippin, author of Filmed Thought "Moving between theoretically ambitious arguments and detailed analyses of films, Peretz makes a compelling case for an intrinsic relation between film and 'America.' This is an important book for anyone interested in American cinema." - Daniel Morgan, author of The Lure of the Image

• Introduction: The Question of America1. To Be in America: Steven Spielberg'sWest Side Story2. The Memory of America: John Ford'sYoung Mr. LincolnandThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance3. American Tragedy Between Sacred Sacrifice and Democratic Image: Francis Ford Coppola'sThe Godfather4. An American Revolution:Sofia Coppola'sLost in TranslationandMarie AntoinetteConclusion: The Law and Passion of the Medium

Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature, Indiana University Bloomington and the author of several books, including The Off-Screen: An Investigation of the Cinematic Frame (Stanford, 2017).

"Anyone interested in American film, the unique potential of cinema, the fate of the idea of American exceptionalism, or the uniquely American experience of modernity, will find Peretz's thoughtful readings of the films he discusses provocative, insightful, and invaluable." - Robert Pippin, author of Filmed Thought "Moving between theoretically ambitious arguments and detailed analyses of films, Peretz makes a compelling case for an intrinsic relation between film and 'America.' This is an important book for anyone interested in American cinema." - Daniel Morgan, author of The Lure of the Image

• Introduction: The Question of America1. To Be in America: Steven Spielberg'sWest Side Story2. The Memory of America: John Ford'sYoung Mr. LincolnandThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance3. American Tragedy Between Sacred Sacrifice and Democratic Image: Francis Ford Coppola'sThe Godfather4. An American Revolution:Sofia Coppola'sLost in TranslationandMarie AntoinetteConclusion: The Law and Passion of the Medium

Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature, Indiana University Bloomington and the author of several books, including The Off-Screen: An Investigation of the Cinematic Frame (Stanford, 2017).

"Anyone interested in American film, the unique potential of cinema, the fate of the idea of American exceptionalism, or the uniquely American experience of modernity, will find Peretz's thoughtful readings of the films he discusses provocative, insightful, and invaluable." - Robert Pippin, author of Filmed Thought "Moving between theoretically ambitious arguments and detailed analyses of films, Peretz makes a compelling case for an intrinsic relation between film and 'America.' This is an important book for anyone interested in American cinema." - Daniel Morgan, author of The Lure of the Image

• Introduction: The Question of America1. To Be in America: Steven Spielberg'sWest Side Story2. The Memory of America: John Ford'sYoung Mr. LincolnandThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance3. American Tragedy Between Sacred Sacrifice and Democratic Image: Francis Ford Coppola'sThe Godfather4. An American Revolution:Sofia Coppola'sLost in TranslationandMarie AntoinetteConclusion: The Law and Passion of the Medium