{"product_id":"the-matrix-9781839022678","title":"The Matrix","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Matrix\u003c\/i\u003e (1999), directed by the Wachowski sisters and produced by Joel Silver, was a true end-of-the-millennium movie, a statement of the American zeitgeist, and, as the original film in a blockbusting franchise, a prognosis for the future of big-budget Hollywood film-making. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, a computer programmer transformed into a messianic freedom fighter, \u003ci\u003eThe Matrix\u003c\/i\u003e blends science fiction with conspiracy thriller conventions and outlandish martial arts created with groundbreaking digital techniques. A box-office triumph, the film was no populist confection: its blatant allusions to highbrow contemporary philosophy added to its appeal as a mystery to be decoded. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this compelling study, Joshua Clover undertakes the task of decoding the film. Examining \u003ci\u003eThe Matrix\u003c\/i\u003e's digital effects and how they were achieved, he shows how the film represents a melding of cinema and video games (the greatest commercial threat to have faced Hollywood since the advent of television) and achieves a hybrid kind of immersive entertainment. He also unpacks the movie's references to philosophy, showing how \u003ci\u003eThe Matrix\u003c\/i\u003e ultimately expresses the crisis American culture faced at the end of the 1990s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoshua Clover\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California Davis, USA.\u003cbr\u003eHis first book of poetry, \u003ci\u003eMadonna anno domini, \u003c\/i\u003e received the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets in 1996.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"British Film Institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510880735506,"sku":"9781839022678","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8893e291-9c83-4979-b099-c2001b07734d.jpg?v=1730937895","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-matrix-9781839022678","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}