Americana is any collection of materials and things concerning or characteristic of the United States or of the American people, and is representative or even stereotypical of American culture as a whole. Right now I'm into Atticana.
It all started with the movie "Dog Day Afternoon." I had no idea what Al Pacino meant when he was repeatedly shouting "Attica! Attica! Attica!" I later found out that Attica was a prison in New York.
Last year I read the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Blood in the Water" by Heather Ann Thompson about the Attica uprising, retaking, and the subsequent years of litigation. Then, in the last few days, I've watched "Against the Wall" which focuses a lot on one guard, Michael Smith (Kyle MacLachlan) and one prisoner, Jamaal X (Samuel L. Jackson) aka Richard X Clark and highly dramatizes the entire event. After that I watched the 1974 documentary titled: "Attica" which, so far, is the best film on the topic. And I've now capped my Atticana craving with "Attica" the movie.
Although "Attica" the movie is based upon Tom Wicker's book, "A Time to Die," it is also closer in portrayal to the 1974 documentary. Even with the 1980 film editing I found that "Attica" sucked me right in. I was captivated by the situation more than I was by the individual characters. Though I know how it all went down, I still found myself attentive to what was said, what was done, and who did and said what. It's American history after all. So, even though I'm calling it Atticana, it is a part of Americana.
