Movies and American Society (Blackwell Readers in American Social and Cultural History) by Steven J. Ross  (1)  $42.26

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From Library Journal
Ross (history, Univ. of Southern California) offers a thought-provoking examination of silent film and its social reverberations. This medium provided the earliest, cheapest, and most far-reaching form of entertainment to capture the public, frequently portraying working-class life with truth and empathy. These productions made definite statements about labor and politics while vigorously defining class issues and struggles?a potent combination during any era. The resulting government and corporate disdain created pressure, but the vast potential for profit was quickly perceived as well. Soon, the studio system took hold with its far softer approach to content. This work abounds in solid information on films, events, trends, historical details, and people along with intelligent analyses of the changing perceptions of class that were partially shaped by these early cinematic ventures. Essential for scholars and serious students of film and American culture.?Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Walter Bernstein
...[a] dense and valuable book...

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First Sentence:
ON A WARM spring night in 1910, millions of excited Americans set out for an evening of entertainment. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
worker film movement, movie industry personnel, worker filmmakers, labor filmmakers, movie industry leaders, conservative films, populist films, labor films, liberal films, nontheatrical films, deluxe houses, radical films, studio leaders, filmmaking activities, worker films, cinema scholars, film catalogs, radical filmmakers, silent filmmakers, surviving films, studio unions, cinematic efforts, radical periodicals, neighborhood theaters, textile strike Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Los Angeles, United States, The Contrast, Upton Sinclair, World War, New Jersey, West Virginia, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Wolfe, Labor's Reward, Samuel Gompers, The Passaic Textile Strike, Wall Street, United Artists, Executive Council, Lower East Side, Mary Pickford, Adolph Zukor, Carl Laemmle, Dangerous Hours, Warner Brothers, American Federation of Labor, Famous Players-Lasky, Samuel Goldwyn New!
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