World War II on the Big Screen

World War II has been an endlessly fertile film subject since the late 1930s–even before the United States entered combat. This sweeping study of Hollywood’s depictions of the war, and of the motion picture industry during wartime, describes more than 450 films in roughly chronological order, while providing a historical perspective on the times and the events depicted. Included are such pictures as Casablanca, The Battle of Midway, Der Fuhrer’s Face and Letters from Iwo Jima.

Doris Milberg is a former teacher who has written three previous books and more than 100 articles about cinema history.

Doris Milberg
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4740-4
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5574-4
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Part I. 1938–1945
One—Prelude to War: Fact and Fantasy      7
Two—Scarlett and Rhett, Hitler and War      15
Three—A Tenuous Peace in America      20
Four—The Road to War: December 7, 1941      28
Five—American Mobilizes      38
Six—War Themes: The Making of a Legend      56
Seven—Praise the Lord and Pass the Propaganda      80
Eight—Soldiers in Greasepaint      90
Nine—The Longest Day      96
Ten—The Road to Victory      114

Part II. Après la Guerre: War-Related Films
Eleven—In the Wake of War      131
Twelve—The Best Years of Our Lives      141
Thirteen—The End of the Forties: A Time of Darkness      148
Fourteen—A Changing Scene, a Changing Society:
The Fifties and Sixties      152
Fifteen—Time Marches On: The Seventies and Eighties      175
Sixteen—The End of a Century      193
Seventeen—The Dawning of a New Century      198

Epilogue      205
Selected Bibliography      207
Index      209

“superb…thoughtful analysis…an informative and thought provoking read”—On Point.