The Columbia Companion to American History on Film - How the Movies Have Portrayed the American Past

Erscheinungsjahr 2006
ISBN: 978-0-231-11223-9
Verlag: Columbia University Press

Buch, Englisch, 696 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 172 mm x 247 mm, Gewicht: 1126 g

American history has always been an irresistible source of inspiration for filmmakers, and today, for good or ill, most Americans'sense of the past likely comes more from Hollywood than from the works of historians. In important films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Roots (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), how much is entertainment and how much is rooted in historical fact? In The Columbia Companion to American History on Film, more than seventy scholars consider the gap between history and Hollywood. They examine how filmmakers have presented and interpreted the most important events, topics, eras, and figures in the American past, often comparing the film versions of events with the interpretations of the best historians who have explored the topic. Divided into eight broad categories -- Eras; Wars and Other Major Events; Notable People; Groups; Institutions and Movements; Places; Themes and Topics; and Myths and Heroes -- the volume features extensive cross-references, a filmography (of discussed and relevant films), notes, and a bibliography of selected historical works on each subject. The Columbia Companion to American History on Film is also an important resource for teachers, with extensive information for research or for course development appropriate for both high school and college students.Though each essay reflects the unique body of film and print works covering the subject at hand, every essay addresses several fundamental questions:? What are the key films on this topic?? What sources did the filmmaker use, and how did the film deviate (or remain true to) its sources? ? How have film interpretations of a particular historical topic changed, and what sorts of factors -- technological, social, political, historiographical -- have affected their evolution?? Have filmmakers altered the historical record with a view to enhancing drama or to enhance the "truth" of their putative message?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rollins, Peter

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmtheorie, Filmanalyse
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmgattungen, Filmgenre
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionI. ErasThe Puritan Era and the Puritan MindThe 1890sThe 1920sThe 1930sThe 1960sThe 1970sThe 1980sII. Wars and Other Major EventsThe American RevolutionThe Civil War and ReconstructionThe Cold WarThe Korean WarThe Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American WarThe Vietnam WarWestward Expansion and the Indian WarsWorld War IWorld War II: DocumentariesWorld War II: Feature FilmsIII. Notable PeopleThe Antebellum Frontier HeroChristopher ColumbusThe Founding FathersIndian LeadersThe KennedysAbraham LincolnRichard NixonFranklin and Eleanor RooseveltBabe Ruth and Lou GehrigHarry S. TrumanGeorge WashingtonIV. GroupsAfrican Americans After World War IIArab AmericansAsian AmericansCatholic AmericansChildren and Teenages in the Twentieth CenturyIrish AmericansItalian AmericansJewish AmericansMexican AmericansNative AmericansRadicals and RadicalismRobber Barons, Media Moguls, and Power ElitesWomen from the Colonial Era to 1900Women in the Twentieth CenturyV. Institutions and MovementsBaseballCity and State GovernmentCivil RightsCongressThe FamilyFootballJournalism and the MediaThe Labor Movement and the Working ClassMilitias and Extremist Political MovementsThe Political MachineThe Presidency After World War IIPrivate SchoolsPublic High SchoolsVI. PlacesThe MidwestThe "New" West and the New WesternNew York CityThe SeaThe Small TownThe SouthSpaceSuburbiaTexas and the SouthwestThe Trans-Appalachian WestVII. Themes and TopicsCrime and the MafiaDrugs, Tobacco, and AlcoholElections and Party PoliticsFeminism and Feminist FilmsRailroadsSexualitySlaveryVIII. Myths and HeroesThe American AdamThe American Fighting ManDemocracy and EqualityThe Frontier and the WestHollywood's DetectiveThe Machine in the GardenSuccess and the Self-Made ManList of ContributorsIndex

Über Autor(innen)

Peter C. Rollins is Regents Professor of English and American Film Studies at Oklahoma State University and editor in chief of the scholarly journal, Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies (www.filmandhistory.org).