Movies and American Society - Paperback

by Steven J. Ross (Author)

The second edition of Movies and American Society is a comprehensive collection of essays and primary documents that explore the ways in which movies have changed--and been changed by--American society from 1905 to the present.

• Each chapter includes an introduction, discussion questions, an essay examining the issues of the period, primary documents, and a list of further reading and screenings
• Includes a new chapter on "American Film in the Age of Terror" and new essays for Chapter 9 ("Race, Violence, and Film") and Chapter 13 ("Hollywood Goes Global"), as well as updated Reading and Screenings sections
• Discusses all the major periods in American film history from the first nickelodeons to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the globalization of Hollywood
• Demonstrates the unique influence of movies on all aspects of American culture, from ideology, politics, and gender to class, war, and race relations
• Engaging and accessible for students, with jargon-free essays and primary documents that show social practices and controversies as well as the fun and cultural influence of movies and movie-going

Back Jacket

Movies are more than just an evening's entertainment. As historical documents, they reflect how Americans see and think about their world. Movies and American Society is a comprehensive collection of thirteen essays and supporting primary documents that explore how films have changed--and been changed by--American society from 1905 to the present.

Each chapter contains an introduction by the editor, an essay that explores how movies made during a specific period dealt with problems of the time, discussion questions, primary documents, and suggestions for further reading and film screenings. The second edition includes a new chapter on "American Film in the Age of Terror," as well as new essays for the chapters on "Race, Violence, and Film" and "Hollywood Goes Global" and fully updated "Readings and Screenings" sections. The book provides sustained discussion and insight into each period while examining a broad range of topics, from ideology, politics, and gender to class, war, and race relations. The jargon-free essays are engaging and accessible for students and the documents explore not only social practices and controversies but also the fun and cultural influence of movies and movie-going.

Bringing together the best scholarship and many never-before-collected documents, this is an essential resource for those wishing to understand the social and cultural impact of film on 20^th- and 21^st-century American life.

Author Biography

Steven J. Ross is Professor of History at the University of Southern California. He is co-director of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities and author of Workers On the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890 (1985), Working-Class Hollywood: Silent Film and the Shaping of Class in America (1998), and Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics (2011). Ross is the recipient of the Theater Library Association Book Award and a Film Scholars Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.