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This work is a comparative study of the three "great" American wars
of the twentieth century: World War I, World War II and Vietnam.
The book explores several aspects of American popular culture, like
fashion, film and the societal mores of each era. While a number of
books have covered fashion during individual wars, this is the
first study to compare several major conflicts, drawing some
conclusions regarding the lasting influences of wardrobe over an
entire century. This book provides short background information for
each war, briefly covering earlier conflicts that shaped the
hostilities of the twentieth century. Although the emphasis is on
women's clothing, participation and service, men are not ignored.
Their fashions not only speak to the times, but the enormity of
their sacrifices.
Clothes make the man" (or woman). This is especially true in early
Hollywood silent films where a character's appearance could show an
immense number of different things about them. For example, Theda
Bara's role in A Fool There Was (1915) was known for her revealing
clothing, seductive appearance, and being the first "Vamp."
Wardrobe and costume design played a larger role in silent films
than in modern movies. The character's clothes told the audience
who they were and what their role was in the movie. In this
in-depth analysis, the author provides examples and explanations
about noteworthy characters who used their appearance to further
their fame.
The heyday of Silent Film, so beloved by film buffs, was an era
that became instantly quaint with the arrival of "Talkies." As
early as 1929, critics and film historians were writing of the
period as though of the distant past. Since then, a torrent of
books has been released, many of which mention art-in the main,
asking whether film could be art-others discussing the splendor of
the sets, the persuasion of the ambiance, or the psychological
depth of the scenario. What these authors seem to have overlooked
is the work of the costume and set designers to provide the
background which profoundly affects all of the above. Most
especially, they failed to examine the source of the inspiration on
those who created that background. To fill this apparent gap, the
premise of this volume-costume and set design in the silent
film-concentrates on what is arguably the most prevailing influence
on both, the presumed nobility of the Middle Ages. Largely owing to
the psychological upset of World War I, although beginning earlier,
society was in a state of flux. Women, who had been so active
during the war, refused to return exclusively to home and kitchen.
Veterans, who had experienced the worst, could no longer accept the
prewar class restrictions and artificial manners. It was only
natural that a longing for what seemed a nobler and purer period
would be created. Designers, if only partly consciously, turned to
that period like flowers to the sun, creating an ambiance which
they felt reflected those higher ideals. Ironically, although the
influence is more than obvious in both sets and wardrobes, the
period devolves into one of freedom bordering on license, and an
almost complete overthrow of those old-fashioned ideals.
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