Reelpolitik II

Political Ideologies in '50s and '60s Films

By (author) Beverly Merrill Kelley

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 February 2004

Length of book:

344 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780742530409

Reelpolitik II moves past typical left-right political distinctions to examine political ideologies cycling through U.S. history during the '50s and '60s. These eight Cold War movies especially equipped the moviegoer with a unique vantage point to scrutinize the arms race, the Red Scare, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. They also helped audiences to observe the way film functions as a purveyor of American mythology, a megaphone to shout political messages, a metaphorical route to the emotions, a flattering mirror, an unflattering microscope, and a magic carpet ride back to the future.
Beverly Kelley's Reelpolitik II is a masterpiece of both clever concept and detailed execution—a real tour de force that gives us a fresh vocabulary for understanding where we've come from, and perhaps where we are headed.