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List of Plates. <p>Acknowledgements.</p> <p>Introduction.</p> <p>1 A Brief History of the Multi-Protagonist Film.</p> <p>2 Theorizing the Multi-Protagonist Film.</p> <p>3 An Early Experiment: <i>Grand Hotel</i>.</p> <p>4 <i>Short Cuts</i> and the Consolidation of a Genre.</p> <p>5 Adolescent Tapestries: <i>American Pie</i>.</p> <p>6 Intimacy Multiplies: <i>Singles</i>.</p> <p>7 Global Thrills: <i>Syriana</i>.</p> <p>Conclusion.</p> <p>References.</p> <p>Index.</p>

"Azcona (Univ. of Zaragoza, Spain) has written a lovely little study of films that depart from the typical focalization on a single protagonist and spread their interest over a multitude of characters. . .Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty." (Choice, 1 October 2011) <p> </p>

<b>María del Mar Azcona</b> teaches English and Film Studies at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. She has published articles on film genre, contemporary Hollywood cinema, and Spanish cinema, and is the author of a book on Alejandro González Iñárritu, co-written with Celestino Deleyto (2010).

<i>The Multi-Protagonist Film</i> explores the origins and history of one of the most exciting new developments in contemporary film worldwide. This “new” genre isn’t really new at all; rather, its historical roots run deep in the Hollywood canon – think <i>Grand Hotel –</i> and re-emerge in contemporary iterations in movies such as <i>Singles, </i> <i>American Pie, Short Cuts,</i> and <i>Syriana. </i> <p>This volume provides elegant analyses of a variety of films to help chart the genre’s evolution and to explore the complexity, mixed messaging, and signal changes that define the multi-protagonist film in the current age. From the impact of globalization on society to shifting morals and the aftershocks of the sexual revolution, <i>The Multi-Protagonist Film</i> helps us to understand the genre and the imponderables that define the political, cultural, public and private spheres.</p>

“<i>The Multi-Protagonist Film</i> identifies historical branches, tracks narrative trends, and delineates stylistic features of this increasingly influential genre. An exhilarating, ground-breaking meditation. Kudos to Azcona!” <i>Christine Holmlund, University of Tennessee</i> <p>“What do <i>Grand Hotel</i>, <i>Short Cuts</i> and <i>American Pie</i> have in common? By arguing that they are all “multi-protagonist films,” María del Mar Azcona offers an exciting and fresh perspective on the study of cinema genre, making this an essential volume for film studies students and scholars.” <i>Hilary Radner, University of Otago</i></p> <p>“Maria del Mar Azcona has put her finger on the pulse of late 20th century and post-Millennial culture in the phenomenon of the multi-protagonist film. Through wide-ranging readings across film and cultural criticism and viewings of an imporessive repertoire of Classical and Postmodern films, Azcona has truly shed important light on an oft-remarked, but hitherto little-understood shift in both popular and serious cinema.” <i>David Desser, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</i></p> <p>"Maria del Mar Azcona's monograph on the multi-protagonist film is an exceptionally useful and intelligent study of a phenomenon that has become especially important in contemporary cinema. It gives us not only a sharp formal analysis of a variety of films, but also some intriguing speculations about the social and economic forces that help determine them.” <i>James Naremore, Indiana University</i></p>

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