Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962 [Paperback]

Drew Casper (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405150750 | ISBN-13: 978-1405150750 | Publication Date: September 19, 2007 | Edition: 1

Postwar Hollywood is a comprehensive history of the American film industry, from 1946-1962.

• A comprehensive introductory textbook exploring the unique period in the history of the film industry after World War II
  
• Examines the cultural history, business practices, new technologies, censorship standards, emerging genres, and styles of post-war cinema
  
• Chronicles the restructuring of Hollywood cinema against the backdrop of the major political, economic, and social changes taking place after World War II
  
• Features in-depth discussions of important films from Picnic, The Heiress, and From Here to Eternity, to Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Love Me or Leave Me
  
• Illustrates the culture/filmmaking interface, and demonstrates the triumphs and failures of Hollywood's new methods of business

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Drew Casper’s volume is a stunning achievement in American film history. Combining love for the films themselves and the creative talent behind them with a sharp attention to contexts – cultural, social, and industrial – Casper offers a comprehensive, sharply argued look at Hollywood cinema in a complex, even vexed, historical moment.”
Dana Polan, New York University

Book Description

Postwar Hollywood is a comprehensive history of the American film industry, from 1946-1962. This textbook chronicles the restructuring of Hollywood cinema against the backdrop of the major political, economic, and social changes taking place after World War II. The most complete text of its kind, this innovative volume looks at a broad range of topics as it examines the cultural history, business practices, new technologies, censorship standards, emerging genres, and styles of postwar cinema. In-depth discussions of important films illustrate the culture/filmmaking interface, and demonstrate the triumphs and failures of Hollywood's new methods of business. Casper also includes valuable footnotes and a select bibliography to direct the reader to further information. An ideal text for both time-specific and broad survey courses, Postwar Hollywood is an excellent resource for readers studying this unique period of the American film industry.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (September 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405150750
• ISBN-13: 978-1405150750
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #919,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, September 28, 2007

By 

Lnguini (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962 (Paperback)

This book is a must for anyone interested in American film during a unique period in US History. It is a beautifully researched, well-organized and dynamically conceived volume that can only enhance our total understanding of the films and the world in which they were created.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Postwar Hollywood Survey, June 24, 2010

By 

Julian Vlcan (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962 (Paperback)

A vast and interesting survey of the ways in which the landscape of Post WWII American Cinema had altered. This book was a required text for a film class I took on films of the 1960's and 70's, which actually made for an interesting comparison how film had transformed even past the Postwar period. If you're interested in censorship policies, this text provides numerous "Test Cases" in which films of the Postwar period actually helped loosen censorship rules.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Postwar Hollywood, January 28, 2008

By 

1Director (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962 (Paperback)

This is a very thorough book about the post war period concerning Hollywood. The reason for the low review is that in-spite of it's depth, it is extremely confusing and overly complex requiring re-read after re-read, which makes it not worth buying unless you need it for a class.