The American Civil War on film and TV : blue and gray in black and white and color / edited by Douglas Brode, Shea T. Brode, and Cynthia J. Miller.

Format:

Book

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil war in motion pictures.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

United States.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 271 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, MD : Lexington Books, [2017]

Summary:

Whether on the big screen or small, films featuring the American Civil War are among the most classic and controversial in motion picture history. From D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915) to Free State of Jones (2016), the war has provided the setting, ideologies, and character archetypes for cinematic narratives of morality, race, gender, and nation, as well as serving as historical education for a century of Americans. The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color bring together nineteen essays by a diverse array of scholars across the disciplines to explore these issues. The essays included here span a wide range of films, from the silent era to the present day, including Buster Keaton's The General (1926), Red Badge of Courage (1951), Glory (1989), Gettysburg (1993), and Cold Mountain (2003), as well as television mini-series The Blue and The Gray (1982) and John Jakes' acclaimed North and South trilogy (1985-86). As an accessible volume to dedicated to a critical conversation about the Civil War on film, The American Civil War on Film and TV will appeal to not only to scholars of film, military history, American history, and cultural history, but to fans of war films and period films, as well.

Contents:

1 America's Civil War: Hollywood vs. History / Earl F. Midderink III Midderink, Earl F. III 1

2 When Silence was Golden: Silent Civil War Films before The Birth of a Nation / Kayla McKinney Wiggins Wiggins, Kayla McKinney, Michael Wiggins Wiggins, Michael 19

3 Not a Lost Cause: The Civil War, Reconstruction, and Race Relations in The Birth of A Nation (1915) and Free State of Jones (2016) / Sue Matheson Matheson, Sue 33

4 Cornering the Last Rebel: The Confederate Soldier in American Film / Paul Haspel Haspel, Paul 45

5 Silent Comedy as Social Criticism: A Textual Analysis of The General(1926) / Douglas Brode Brode, Douglas 57

6 Screen Historian or American Myth Maker?: The Civil War According to John Ford / Scott Allen Nollen Nollen, Scott Allen, Douglas Brode Brode, Douglas 69

7 The North, The South; Black Folks, White Folks: Shirley Temple and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson / Kathy Merlock Jackson Jackson, Kathy Merlock, Ray Merlock Merlock, Ray 81

8 Hidden Behind Hoopskirts: The Many Women of Hollywood's Civil War / Rosanne Welch Welch, Rosanne 93

9 The Golden Age of Hollywood's Belles: Is Tomorrow, After All, Another Day? / Biljana Oklopcic Oklopcic, Biljana 105

10 Gender, War and Sisterhood in the Novel and Film Versions of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women / Fran Pheasant-Kelly Pheasant-Kelly, Fran 119

11 Literary and Cinematic Canon Fire: John Huston's The Red Badge of Courage (1951) / Guerric DeBona, OSB DeBona, Guerric, OSB 133

12 Adapting The Killer Angels: Historical Accuracy versus Poetic Vision in Gettysburg / Peggy A. Russo Russo, Peggy A. 151

13 Whiteness, Whiteness Everywhere: Walt Disney's Civil War Productions / Susan Aronstein Aronstein, Susan, Jeanne Holland Holland, Jeanne 169

14 (Re-)Visionist History in Sergio Leone's (De-)Mythologized Old West: The Civil War, Vietnam, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly / David S. Silverman Silverman, David S. 183

15 The Civil War as TV Miniseries: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful / Judith Sobré Sobré, Judith 195

16 Documentary as an Art Form: Ken Burns's "Creative" Dramatization of the Civil War / Martin J. Manning Manning, Martin J., Douglas Brode Brode, Douglas 207

17 Strange Homecomings: Hollywood and the Narrative of the Warrior's Return / Gregory Perreault Perreault, Gregory 217

18 Featuring Atrocity & H8ful Heritage: Tarantino's Revision of Civil War Mythology / Beth Jane Toren Toren, Beth Jane 227

19 Brother Against ... Monster: Hidden Stories of the Civil War / Cynthia J. Miller Miller, Cynthia J., A. Bowdoin Van Riper Riper, A. Bowdoin Van 243.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

149856688X

9781498566889

OCLC:

995287734