Conclusion: Once More Around the Blockbuster

Abstract

Smith-Rowsey concludes Blockbuster Performances with a summary of findings and a brief discussion that acknowledges work that was completed but not included, as well as work that remains to be done. Among the author’s findings: actors convey the themes and meanings of blockbusters; genre-appropriate acting makes spectacle matter; blockbusters rely upon actors acting, giving “dialogue scenes” more screen time than “action scenes.” Among Smith-Rowsey’s work that was finished but not elaborated at chapter-length: close analyses of pre-1970s “historical epics” like Gone with the Wind (1939) and The Ten Commandments (1955) as well as closer examinations of female-led crime films modeled after The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Among Smith-Rowsey’s suggestions for future research: work on “blockbuster performances” in musicals, comedies, and animated films, as well as more work on so-called “synthespians.”