Motion picture images have influenced the American mind since the
earliest days of film, and many thoughtful people are becoming ever
more concerned about that influence, as about the pervasive
influence of television. In eras of economic instability and
international conflict, the film industry has not hesitated to use
motion pictures for definite propaganda purposes. During less
troubled times, the American citizen's ability to deal with
political and social issues has been enhanced or thwarted by images
absorbed in the nation's theatres. Hollywood As Historian tracks
the interaction of Americans with important motion picture
productions. Considered are such topics as racial and sexual
stereotyping, censorship of films, comedy as a tool for social
criticism, the influence of great men and their screen images, and
the use of film to interpret history. Opportunities for future
study are suggested for those who wish to conduct their own
examinations of American film in a cultural context. Hollywood As
Historian benefits from a variety of approaches. Literary and
historical influences are carefully related to The Birth of a
Nation (1915) and Apocalypse Now (1979), two highly tendentious
epics of war and cultural change. How political beliefs of
filmmakers affected cinematic styles is illuminated in a short
survey of documentary films made during the Great Depression.
Historical distance has helped analysts to decode messages
unintended by filmmakers in the study of The Snake Pit (1948) and
Dr. Strangelove (1964). While pluralism of approach has been
encouraged, balance has also been a goal: a concern for
institutional and thematic considerations never obscures matters of
film aesthetics. In twelve chapters dealing with more than sixteen
films, Hollywood As Historian offers a versatile text for classes
in popular culture, American studies, film history, or film as
history. The visual awareness promoted by this text has immediate
application, in that students can begin to consider the impact of
motion pictures (and television) on their own lives. The films
considered: The Birth of a Nation (1915), The Plow that Broke the
Plains (1936), The River (1937), March of Time (1935-1953), City
Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), The
Grapes of Wrath (1940), Native Land (1942), Wilson (1944), The
Negro Soldier (1944), The Snake Pit (1948), On the Waterfront
(1954), Dr. Strangelove (1964), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(1966), and Apocalypse Now (1979).
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