Cinematic depictions of real U.S. presidents from Abraham Lincoln to
George W. Bush explore how Hollywood movies represent American history
and politics on screen. Morgan and his contributors show how films blend
myth and reality to present a positive message about presidents as the
epitome of America's values and idealism until unpopular foreign wars in
Vietnam and Iraq led to a darker portrayal of the imperial presidency,
operated by Richard Nixon and Bush 43. This exciting new collection
further considers how Hollywood has continually reinterpreted
historically significant presidents, notably Abraham Lincoln, Theodore
Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to fit the times in which movies
about them were made.