This astute broadening of the genre of the road movie geographically and generically is truly essential reading for both students and scholars. In moving away from the strictly American context and conception of the genre, yet without ignoring Hollywood's foundational creation of the genre in the Classical and Modern periods, this volume opens up a new vista on the endless allure of the open road. -- David Desser, University of Illinois

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.