The Star-Spangled Screen
The American World War II Film
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Book Presentation:
The American World War II film depicted a united America, a mythic America in which the average guy, the girl next door, the 4-F patriot, and the grieving mother were suddenly transformed into heroes and heroines, warriors and goddesses. The Star-Spangled Screen examines the historical accuracy—or lack thereof—of films about the Third Reich, the Resistance, and major military campaigns. Concerned primarily with the films of the war years, it also includes discussions of such postwar movies as Battleground (1949), Attack! (1956), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Patton (1970). This revised edition includes new material covering recent films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Dunkirk (2017), and JoJo Rabbit (2019), and their place in the war movie tradition. The Star-Spangled Screen makes a major contribution to popular culture by re-creating an era that, for all its tragedy, was one of the most creative in the history of American film.
About the Author:
Bernard F. Dick is professor emeritus of communications and English at Fairleigh Dickinson University (Teaneck campus). He holds a doctorate in classics from Fordham University and is the author of numerous film books including Anatomy of Film, Hal Wallis, and That Was Entertainment.
Press Reviews:
A thoughtful, well-written study of American films on World War II that manages to keep its balance as it swerves in political, sociological, and esthetic directions. -Variety
Countless books have been published on World War II films. Perhaps the best introduction is Bernard Dick's [The Star Spangled Screen]. -Choice
One comes away a trifle numb: in part due to the sheer number of films made; but in part both awed and terrified by Hollywood's ability to use what were, for the most part, mediocre films to make the ravages of war not only so acceptable to the American public, but glorious. -The Arts Fuse
See the publisher website: University Press of Kentucky
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