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Film & History Vol. 24, No's. 3-4, 1 994 117 Robert Fyne, The Hollywood Propaganda ofWorld War II, Scarecrow Press, 1995, 245 pp. $32.50 This lively and engaging book examines the American films made during and specifically about the Second World War. Neither a history of wartime Hollywood nor a study of film making, it is an extended essay about Hollywood's products-the films themselves-and their viewers. The author's approach is personal, assertive, sometimes critical, but always good-humored. Writing in an idiomatic style, Fyne employs a tone of mild satire and intentionally echoes the terminology and rhythms of the language of the films and popular culture of the wartime era. It is a voice he adopts comfortably; the mature scholar was a youthful viewer of many of these films, and his affection for the genre is obvious. Notwithstanding its informal tone, the book has a tight and effective organization , is a deft combination of clironological and topical approaches. As he proceeds through the war years phase by phase, Fyne uses the opportunities presented by historical moments to explore the themes, characterizations, and techniques that were developing. Readers must note that Fyne's use of the term "propaganda" is broad and essentially positive. The task of the film industry, he posits, was to illustrate and reinforce a somewhat inchoate national will, to embody a message that people sought to understand and believe. Asserting that a "good propaganda film" is a worthy work of art, Fyne suggests that the wartime films which were most effective in their propaganda role incorporated features that always characterize good story or cinema—"taut story lines and in-depth characterizations"~and that, as a result, they "retained their popularity years later" (12). Fyne applies his evaluative standard to name the "ten best" films and to evaluate the effectiveness of others as propaganda . (From this perspective, a film that was a cinematic success by other standards might still be ineffective as propaganda as, for instance, was Casablanca, which Fyne considers too complicated to be clear.) The resulting narrative is both informal and delightful. It is supported by a photo section, a chronological listing of films, and a thorough index. But the handiest feature of the book is the filmography of 153 films, about onehalf of the total embraced by the author's definition of wartime propaganda films. The filmography includes production information, a brief synopsis of each, and Fyne's sometimes acerbic evaluation ("best line," "worst line," "worst scene") supported by a brief sample of dialogue. Together, the filmography and index make ideal companions to the listings of movies found in newspaper TV supplements and they enhance the utility of the book as a text as well as its general appeal. Robert W. Matson University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown ...

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