Running Time: Films of the Cold War

Fülszöveg

NORASAYRE
Illustrated with 52 black-and-white photographs
Old films can serve as hidden memories that summon up the nightmares and daydreams of an era. The movies of the Fifties reflect the fears and obsessions of the Cold War period-along with the rebellions of the young and the conflicts within the family. Nora Sayre explores the filmic images that mirror the mentalities of a time when many Americans retreated from public issues to focus on private life, when male ancj female roles were very strictly defined, and love was expected to cure everything from hostility to schizophrenia.
The book examines the impact of Hollywood's blacklist on the movies themselves— after numerous film makers had either defied or cooperated with the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Movies that were accused of left-wing content are discussed, and so are the anti-Communist films that Hollywood produced to cleanse its image of radicalism. From alleged subversives to the Martian invaders of... Tovább

Fülszöveg

NORASAYRE
Illustrated with 52 black-and-white photographs
Old films can serve as hidden memories that summon up the nightmares and daydreams of an era. The movies of the Fifties reflect the fears and obsessions of the Cold War period-along with the rebellions of the young and the conflicts within the family. Nora Sayre explores the filmic images that mirror the mentalities of a time when many Americans retreated from public issues to focus on private life, when male ancj female roles were very strictly defined, and love was expected to cure everything from hostility to schizophrenia.
The book examines the impact of Hollywood's blacklist on the movies themselves— after numerous film makers had either defied or cooperated with the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Movies that were accused of left-wing content are discussed, and so are the anti-Communist films that Hollywood produced to cleanse its image of radicalism. From alleged subversives to the Martian invaders of science fiction, our landscape seemed to harbor perils that were equally difficult to defeat or to define.
Running Time enables us to learn a great deal about American history through our movies. While the author concentrates on the past, readers will notice certain parallels with the present: some of the themes of the Fifties have resurfaced in the Eighties. Meanwhde, comedy is the instrument of insight: often hilarious as well as illuminating, the book is grounded in Nora Sayre's legendary style and wit, and the result is a gem of cultural history. Vissza