Politics and Politicians in American Film

Films have been a part of U.S. society for a centurya source of great enjoyment for the audience and of great profit to filmmakers. How does a mass entertainment medium deal with some of the great sources of dramatic real-life political and economic conflictthe Great Depression, the Cold Warin a way that attracts an audience without making it angry? How does an industry, which has from its beginnings been the subject of attacks from social, political and religious groups deal with political issues and conflicts? This book is an attempt to examine these questions; it is also an examination of some of the greatest and most interesting American films ever madewesterns, gangster films, comedies, war films, satires, and film biographiesto see what American films say about politics and politicians, and what these films, in turn, say about the audience for which they were produced.