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NEWBOOKS Michael T. Isenberg. War on Film: The American Cinema and World War I, 1914-1941. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickenson University Press, 1981. Several of the chapters from Michael Isenberg' s dissertation here polished into book form, have appeared previously in the Journal of Popular Film and Television and the Journal of Popular Culture, but the entire volume at hand represents a carefully balanced and closely reasoned overall approach to a most interesting topic. Opening with three chapters on general issues concerning the historian's use of film (concentrating, for example, on why historians must consider film aesthetics as well as factual content in their analysis), Isenberg goes on to deal with several significant aspects of U.S. involvement in World War I (the level of commitment and sacrifice, and the critics of the war, for example), and considers the image of the ally, of the enemy and of the home front. A separate chapter deals with the role of women, and another with humor as a factor in films of this type. "The motion picture provides one key to the better understanding of American society," Isenberg states in his conclusion showing characteristic (and appropriate) cautiousness. This book clearly indicates how the movies serve as a particularly rich source for comprehending how the "mass mind" responded to the Great War. This is a long awaited book that has been worth waiting for. Rita Parks. The Western Hero in Film and Television: Mass Media Mythology. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1982 According to the author, "age, versatility and popularity qualify the western hero as subject for the study of what Americans are likely to expect of those to whom they give their adulation as popular heroes." Parks seeks to trace the creation and development of the western hero as he evolved from an historical and literary figure to a mass media myth. After a discussion of the meaning of myth which takes a deep bow to the ideas of John Cawelti, a long poorly organized chapter defines the western genre and the changing set of characters from Leatherstocking to William F. Cody—all westerners whose career's merged into an American epic. Another chapter traces the rise of the western genre on film, from Porter's 1903 classic The Great Train Robbery up to Ride the High Country and The Wild Bunch. Regretably, fascinating information on William S. Hart and his friendships with Bat Masterson and Wyatt 45 Earp are relegated to a footnote. The final chapter, "Television: The Myth as Pastoral," provides a summary of television westerns from the 1940's into the 1970 ' s and then focuses on several specific types such as the anthology series, shows about loners, pardners, families, and parodies such as Maverick and The Wild Wild West. Gunsmoke and Bonanza receive the greatest attention. One drawback to the book is that there is little if any primary research evident and no apparent recognition of the existance of any manuscript sources, Richard Shale. Donald Duck Joins Up: The Walt Disney Studio During World War II. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1982. Using the Walt Disney Archives which were set up in 1970 (and which, by the way, include the famous Annette Funicello sweater), Richard Shale has set out to examine, the role of the Disney Studios during the War. With concise consideration of the early history of animation and Disney's own-1928 creation of Steamboat Willie, the incredible popularity by the 1930' s of characters such as Mickey Mouse is charted. Throughout this book, however, the nature of propaganda becomes an often understated concern. Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Treasury Department had enlisted Disney to create a cartoon starring Donald Duck which would "educate" seven million new taxpayers to "the need for payment [of taxes] and how simple the process was." The resultant film, The New Spirit, was a popular success but, as the author explains, it did meet some opposition. Members of Congress such as Carl Curtis objected to government expenditure on the costs of such a production asserting that "waris serious business." Another chapter relates the activities of Disney in crafting films for export to Latin American countries, at...

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