New Books

NEW BOOKS Arthur Marx. Goldwyn: A Biography of the Man Behind the Myth. New York: Norton, 1976. 376 pp., $9.95. An interesting biography of one of the most influential producers in the history of the American movie business. Marx's prose is easy to read, and his observations offer interesting new insights into the producer's contribution to film. There is also worthwhile information on individual films, for example, Goldwyn's involvement in planning, casting and promoting The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Pare Lorentz. Lorentz on Film: Movies 1927-1941. New York: Hopkinson and Blake Publishers, 1975. 224 pp., $8.95, paperback $5.50. This is a collection of Lorentz's reviews over the years from such magazines as Judge, Vanity Fair, and McCaII 's. In a prologue, King Vidor comments that Lorentz "loved movies too much to wallow in the negative smog that has characterized some of our most popular reviewers." In addition to the nearly 100 specific films reviewed here (including The Crowd, Public Enemy, Gabriel Over the White House, Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, and his own Plow That Broke the Plains) there are interesting comments on newsreels, documentary film, propaganda, etc. George Rehrauer. The Short Film: An Evaluative Selection of 500 Recommended Films. New York: Macmillan, 1975. $12.50. While many of the films evaluated in this useful guide will be of little interest to the history teacher, the book does provide a useful guide to worthwhile films which will fit into a single classroom viewing period (no film listed is over 60 minutes). The capsule descriptions of each film are shorter than most prospective users would like, but they may provide some guidance in choosing short films which are particularly effective for stimulating classroom discussion. Richard Meran Barsam. Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism. New York: Dutton, 1976. 382 pp., paperback, $6.95 (in Canada $8.35). In this collection of essays and criticism, twenty-one authors 97 comment on the documentary form. From filmmakers such as Grierson , Rotha, and Lindsay Anderson to current observers such as Robert T. El son, Richard Dyer MacCann, and Barsam himself, a balanced view is achieved. As in Barsam' s Nonfiction Film : a Critical History (Dutton, 1975), the emphasis here is on British and American films. TO REASSURE A NATION: HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS WORLD WAR Il of the Army's Why We Fight series: see Frank Capra, The Name Above the Title (New York, 1971), 326-327. For the recruitment problems which the Women's Army Corps' faced because of the fear of "loss of femininity," see Mattie E. Treadwell, The Women's Army Corps (Washington, 1954), 149167 , 191-218. Another ongoing aspect of "femininity" triumphing over militarism in Sc^ Proudly We Hail was Goddard's black negligee, which she insisted on keeping with her throughout the nurses' adventures. It is her determination to rescue this from one bombed barracks which leads to Veronica Lake's death. The general assumption that the war would produce little change in the basic attitude of Americans is evidenced by the planning for the post-war implementation of the educational provisions of the G.I. Bill. It was assumed that, since only a small percent of those inducted into the armed services had received collegiate education, only 7-12 percent of the returning G. I. s would avail themselves of the educational provisions of the bill. See Keith W. Olson, "The G.I. Bill and Higher Education: Success and Surprise," American Qjja_rterTy_, XXV (1973), 596-610. The film Wake Island has the civilian construction superintendent, Shad McCloskey (Albert Dekker) at constant odds with Major Caton (Brian Donlevy) over the pre-hostilities airraid drills that interfere with his construction schedule. But when the Japs attack, McCloskey grabs a gun and joins Caton; the two die in the same foxhole. In reality, the civilian construction crews wished to cooperate with the Marines in building defenses before hostilities broke out. But when the Japanese landed the majority of the civilians protested against Marine resistance as useless and pressured the Marines to surrender. See Samuel E. Mori son, History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II [15 vols., Boston, 19471962 ), III, 228-229...