For no reason at all : the changing narrative of the First World War in American film / Jeffrey A. Hinkelman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hinkelman, Jeffrey A., author.

Contributor:

Charles D. Dickey, Jr., Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1914-1918--Motion pictures and the war.

World War, 1914-1918.

War and motion pictures.

Motion pictures--United States--History--20th century.

Motion pictures.

War films.

History.

Historical films.

United States.

Historical films--United States--History--20th century.

War films--United States--History--20th century.

World War, 1914-1918--African Americans.

African Americans.

World War, 1914-1918--Women.

Comedy films--United States--History and criticism.

Comedy films.

Women.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Physical Description:

x, 251 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, [2022]

Summary:

"The years following the signing of the Armistice saw a transformation of traditional attitudes regarding military conflict as America attempted to digest the enormity and futility of the First World War. During these years popular film culture in the United States created new ways of addressing the impact of the war on both individuals and society. Filmmakers with direct experience of combat created works that promoted their own ideas about the depiction of wartime service-ideas that frequently conflicted with established, heroic tropes for the portrayal of warfare on film. Those filmmakers spent years modifying existing standards and working through a variety of storytelling options before achieving a consensus regarding the fitting method for rendering war on screen. That consensus incorporated facets of the experience of Great War veterans, and these countered and undermined previously accepted narrative strategies. This process reached its peak during the Pre-Code Era of the early 1930s when the initially prevailing narrative would be briefly supplanted by an entirely new approach that questioned the very premises of wartime service. Even more significantly, the rhetoric of these films argued strongly for an antiwar stance that questioned every aspect of the wartime experience. For No Reason at All: The Changing Narrative of the First World War in American Film discusses a variety of Great War-themed films made from 1915 to the present, tracing the changing approaches to the conflict over time. Individual chapters focus on movie antecedents, animated films and comedies, the influence of literary precursors, the African American film industry, women-centered films, and the effect of the Second World War on depictions of the First. Films discussed include Hearts of the World, The Cradle of Courage, Birthright, The Big Parade, She Goes to War, Doughboys, Young Eagles, The Last Flight, Broken Lullaby, Lafayette Escadrille, and Wonder Woman, among many others"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One The Cradle of Courage: Warfare in American Film in the 1910s and 1920s

ch. Two Combat, Literature, and Film: Combat Veterans and the Production of Narratives of Wartime Service, 1925

1930

ch. Three Comedies, Cartoons, and Carnage: World War I in American Comic Short Films

ch. Four Race Film and the Depiction of African American Military Service, 1918

1939

ch. Five Girls in Hell: The Changing Depiction of Women in the First World War

ch. Six For No Reason at All: Homecoming, Disillusionment, and the Failure of Tradition

ch. Seven Morals and Muck: From Suicide to Superheroes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references, filmography and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charles D. Dickey, Jr., Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Hinkelman, Jeffrey A. For no reason at all

ISBN:

9781496836946

1496836944

9781496836939

1496836936

OCLC:

1250308926

Publisher Number:

99989891351