Though often seen as one of America's native cinematic genres, the road
movie has lent itself to diverse international contexts and inspired a
host of filmmakers. As analyzed in this study, from its most familiar
origins in Hollywood the road movie has become a global film practice,
whether as a vehicle for exploring the relationship between various
national contexts and American cinema, as a means of narrating different
national and continental histories, or as a form of individual
filmmaking expression. Beginning with key films from Depression-era
Hollywood and the New Hollywood of the late 1960s and then considering
its wider effect on world cinemas, this volume maps the development and
adaptability of an enduring genre, studying iconic films along the way.