Resumen de �We can't go on pretending that this is the life we wanted": revisiting 1950s Americn Suburbia through contemporary film
The success of the television drama series Mad Men (Matthew Weiner, 2007-present) evinces the prominence of its themes in contemporary American society. The show draws attention to racism, sexism, homophobia, and other kinds of discrimination in postwar times.
Considering David Morley�s concept of interdiscourse, I argue that Mad Men is part of a larger trend in cinematographic productions. Thus, I use Mad Men to contextualize my arguments, but I concentrate on the films Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002), Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes, 2008), and The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011). I consider the discourses these films articulate through their revision of postwar suburbia. Specifically, I focus on gender roles, race, sexuality, and disparate lifestyles. I also pay attention to previous cinematographic productions and their social and political contexts in order to assess how these three films relate to contemporary society. In the end, I argue that these cinematic productions represent a structure of feeling that has been developing since the 2000s. However, I do not attempt to present a definite view of these films and their role in society. Rather, I treat them as the reflection of a structure of feeling that specific social groups share
