Bibliograph

Type

Label

An army of phantoms, American movies and the making of the Cold War, J. Hoberman

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-366) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

An army of phantoms

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

505420495

Responsibility statement

J. Hoberman

Sub title

American movies and the making of the Cold War

Summary

An Army of Phantoms- a major new work of film history and cultural criticism from J. Hoberman, one of the foremost film critics writing todayùaddresses the dynamic synergy of American politics and American popular culture during the Cold War's first decade. Heralded by a mushroom cloud over Hiroshima, the years between 1946 and 1956 brought an explosion of affluence and anxiety. Along with U.S. dominance over Europe and a new war in Asia came the birth of the civil rights movement and the first stirrings of a new youth culture. The period saw the movie industry purged of its political left at the same time as the ideological action hero John Wayne reached the peak of his career. Analyzing Hollywood's cavalry Westerns, apocalyptic sci-fi flicks, and biblical spectaculars, along with media events, congressional hearings and political campaigns, and drawing on FBI files and studio records, Hoberman has orchestrated a colorful, sometimes surreal pageant wherein Cecil B. DeMille rubs shoulders with Douglas MacArthur, atomic tests are shown on live TV, God talks on the radio, and Joe McCarthy is bracketed with Marilyn Monroe. Essential reading for film and history buffs, An Army of Phantoms expands on the analysis of the 1960's found in Hoberman's critically acclaimed The Dream Life and offers a lively and astute history of film that is also, to paraphrase Jean-Luc Godard, about the film of history. --Book Jacket

Table Of Contents

pt. 1. Aliens among us : Hollywood, 1946-47 -- pt. 2. Fighting for the ministry of truth, justice, and the American way, 1948-50 -- pt. 3. Redskin menace from outer space : America at war, 1950-52 -- pt. 4. The PaxAmericanArama : Eisenhower power, 1953-55 -- pt. 5. Searchin' : America on the road, 1955-56

Classification