Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Illustrations vii
4. Acknowledgments ix
5. Introduction 1
6. Part I “I’m making this up as I go”: Lawrence Kasdan and Raiders of the Lost Ark
7. Chapter 1 Smith and Jones: Discourse Analysis of the Raiders of the Lost Ark Story Conference 11
8. Chapter 2 Visual Language in the Raiders of the Lost Ark Screenplay 31
9. Part II Kasdan the Director: Developing Style(s)
10. Chapter 4 Classical Structure in the “Perfect Ensemble” of The Big Chill 60
11. Part III Voice of the Largest Generation
12. Chapter 5 Altruism and Otherness in The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, and Grand Canyon 83
13. Chapter 6 Cowboys, Aliens, and Sixtysomethings: Age and Nostalgia in Kasdan’s Later Films 101
14. Part IV Influences, Without and Within
15. Chapter 7 From Noir to Kurosawa: Allusion and Homage in Lawrence Kasdan’s Films 119
16. Chapter 8 Kasdan’s Collaborations: Creation and Performance 132
17. Part V A Long Time in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
18. Chapter 9 From Star Wars to Saga: Lawrence Kasdan and The Empire Strikes Back 149
19. Chapter 10 Revenge of the Monomyth: Reclaiming the Hero’s Journey in Return of the Jedi 166
20. Chapter 11 A New Hope in The Force Awakens 177
21. Chapter 12 A Changed Man: Solo and Beyond 189
22. Part VI An Interview with Lawrence Kasdan 203
23. Lawrence Kasdan: Writing and Directing Credits 215
24. Filmography 220
25. Bibliography 224
26. Index 234