In the twentieth anniversary edition, Kolker continues and expands his inquiry into the phenomenon of cinematic representation of culture by updating and revising the chapters on Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, and Steven Spielberg to include their most important works since 1988 and re-examine their earlier films. Kolker writes a shorter profile of Arthur Penn's career followed by a new comparative study of Oliver Stone, who mirrors Penn's earlier works such as Bonnie and Clyde by examining the political-social milieu of the '80s and '90s and drawing his films out of historical and ideological currents. Kolker analyses '90s films which have made important advances in the directors' careers and cause for rethinking the films that precede them. This edition includes a new preface, updated filmography and 48 images from various films discussed through the text.