American historians such as Frederick Jackson Turner have argued that the West has been the region that most clearly defines American democracy and the national ethos. Throughout the twentieth century, the "frontier thesis" influenced film and television producers who used the West as a backdrop for an array of dramatic explorations of America's history and the evolution of its culture and values. The common themes found in Westerns distinguish the genre as a quintessentially American form of dramatic art. In Hollywood's West, Peter C. Rollins, John E. O'Connor, and the nation's leading film scholars analyze popular conceptions of the frontier as a fundamental element of American history and culture. This volume examines classic Western films and programs that span nearly a century, from Cimarron (1931) to Turner Network Television's recent made-for-TV movies. Many of the films discussed here are considered among the greatest cinematic landmarks of all time. The essays highlight the ways in which Westerns have both shaped and reflected the dominant social and political concerns of their respective eras. While Cimarron challenged audiences with an innovative, complex narrative, other Westerns of the early sound era such as The Great Meadow (1931) frequently presented nostalgic visions of a simpler frontier era as a temporary diversion from the hardships of the Great Depression. Westerns of the 1950s reveal the profound uncertainty cast by the cold war, whereas later Westerns display heightened violence and cynicism, products of a society marred by wars, assassinations, riots, and political scandals. The volume concludes with a comprehensive filmography and an informative bibliography of scholarly writings on the Western genre. This collection will prove useful to film scholars, historians, and both devoted and casual fans of the Western genre. Hollywood's West makes a significant contribution to the understanding of both the historic American frontier and its innumerable popular representations.

Product Description: This important volume addresses a number of central topics concerning how history is depicted in film. In the preface, the volume editors emphasize the importance of using film in teaching history: students will see historical films, and if they are not taught critical viewing, they will be inclined simply to accept what they see as fact...read more

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All too often Hollywood portrays Native Americans either as bloodthirsty savages, ever ready to scalp the innocent and pure, or as noble shamans, calmly sharing their accumulated wisdom with the white man. Rarely has the Indian's own view of himself or his culture been represented in films or other visual media.This collection of essays offers both in-depth analyses of specific films and overviews of Hollywood's depiction of Native Americans from the days of silent films to Disney's Pocahontas. Together, the writers explore the many ways in which the differing portrayals -- negative, sympathetic, or realistic -- have reflected larger changes in American society and their impact on our collective cultural life.

This collection of essays on the historicity of television explores the public acceptance of television 'histories' such as Roots and Ken Burns's Civil War documentary. (view table of contents)

Product Description: Eminent scholars Peter C. Rollins and John O'Connor make an important contribution to the field with an eclectic mix of essays, which translate visual language into on-screen politics. While the series may be criticized as "idealistic," its clever techniques of camera work, lighting, editing, and mise en scene reflect America's best image of itself, and entertains a loyal audience that desperately wants to believe in the nobility of the American dream...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Shakespeare’s Theories of Blood, Character, and Class is a collection of essays that explores the works of Shakespeare by applying David Shelley Berkeley’s approach to them as literary manifestations of Elizabethan political, scientific, and social thought...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Hollywood's World War I. This war may have been the most important event of the early 20th century: it shelled the Victorian synthesis and decimated a lost generation. At first, the motion picture industry avoided the conflict but then discovered that both ground warriors and aviators fascinated the public in an era when motion picture attendance was on the rise...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: 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...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)