Projections of War: Hollywood, American Culture and World War II

In this cultural history of the USA during World War II, Thomas Doherty examines the interaction between Hollywood cinema and America’s involvement in the war. He reveals how and why Hollywood marshalled its artistic resources on behalf of the war effort, giving a voice to many different groups’ viewpoints: the motion picture industry itself; government agencies; and audiences at home and overseas. Doherty proves that wartime Hollywood was not a rigidly controlled propaganda machine, as is often assumed, but an ad-hoc collaborative effort between the government and the film industry. He explains the social, political and economic forces that created genre classics such as Mrs Miniver and Air Force as well as comedies, musicals, newsreels, documentaries, cartoons and army training films.