In a cinema that has presented John Wayne interpreting Genghis Khan as a
medieval gunslinger, the idea that Hollywood filmmakers have historical
consciousness might seem strange. However, they do and they did in
fascinating ways, which are revealed by David Eldridge in this
innovative and detailed analysis of the film industry's use of history.
Grounded in exceptional resources and rich in close readings of the
films, "Hollywood's History Films" focuses on the 1950s when Hollywood's
interest in the past was at its peak. It reconstructs how filmmakers
understood their treatment of the past, suggesting why many of them saw
their work as superior to that of professional historians. The book
embraces movies as diverse as "The Ten Commandments", "Calamity Jane"
and "The House of Wax", exploring the overlapping anxieties that
encouraged an unprecedented turn to history, including the Cold War's
ever-present nuclear threat, McCarthyism and the industry's fears about
a haemorrhaging box office. In an environment shaped by such tensions,
filmmakers were not ignorant of the facts, nor simply exercising
dramatic license.
David Eldridge considers researchers, advisers and outside interference
from proponents of particular versions of the past and uncovers the
different - and limited - ways in which producers, directors and
screenwriters were exposed to historical debates and ideas. Challenging
reconceptions, his book helps us to understand just how and why
Hollywood blurs the boundaries between fiction and historical reality.
