Who can forget Dorothys quest for the great and powerful Oz as she tried to return to her beloved Kansas? She thought she needed a wizards magic, only to discover that homeand the power to get therehad been with her all along. This engaging and provocative book proposes that Hollywood has created an imaginary cinematic geography filled with people and places we recognize and to which we are irresistibly drawn. Each viewing of a film stirs, in a very real and charismatic way, feelings of home, and the comfort of returning to films like familiar haunts is at the core of our nostalgic desire. Leading us on a journey through American film, Elisabeth Bronfen examines the different ways home is constructed in the development of cinematic narrative. Each chapter includes a close reading of such classic films as Flemings The Wizard of Oz, Sirks Imitation of Life, Burtons Batman Returns, Hitchcocks Rebecca, Fords The Searchers, and Sayless Lone Star.