American film directors from the late 1930s to the early 1960s instigated a renaissance of original artistic works that helped reinvigorate and renew American culture. During a time of unprecedented danger from anti-democratic forces both abroad and at home, the most imaginative and creative films of these directors - John Ford, Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, Elia Kazan, George Stevens - articulated issues, themes, and realities at the core of the American experience. In this lively and original book, Sam Girgus offers a fresh look at films such as The Searchers, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life, High Noon, and On the Waterfront. He shows how these films are part of the cultural and historic debate that examines, structures, and questions what modern America means to its people, the world, and history.