A collection's merit hangs on the skill of its editors, whose task it is to commission essays on meaningful topics and then edit those essays to meet the overall needs of the collection. Douglas Brode, Shea Brode, and Cynthia Miller succeed beautifully in this excellent volume. The timeliness of the book is noteworthy: recent events such as Charlottesville and the controversy over Confederate memorials are very much in the public consciousness. Most of the essays are well written and creatively engage media portrayals of the Civil War and its aftermath. Particular standouts are Guerric DeBona's history of John Hustonâs adaptation of The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Susan Aronstein and Jeanne Hollandâs overview of Disney Civil Warâthemed productions of the 1950s and 1960s, and Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riperâs take on alternate history and the othering of the Civil War (Kevin Wilmotâs C.S.A would have worked nicely here). Arranged in rough chronological order of the release dates of the films discussed, the essays take readers through US popular culture of the past 120 years as they look at the breadth and impact of the American Civil War. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
CHOICE
This excellent collection of essays insightfully analyzes most of the important films about the Civil War. Moreover, it sheds new light on the evolution of American attitudes toward the Civil War and its significance.
- John G. Cawelti, author of Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture,
Douglas Brode, Shea Brode, and Cynthia Millerâs The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color not only offers a great study of a specific genre of popular film and television, it is also highly informative about the popular culture reception of one of the great, turbulent times in American history. This book is a âmust haveâ for anyone interested in the Civil War or in popular film and television. It is both discerning and entertaining.
- Gary Hoppenstand, Michigan State University,
Douglas Brode, Shea Brode, and Cynthia Millerâs The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color not only offers a great study of a specific genre of popular film and television, it is also highly informative about the popular culture reception of one of the great, turbulent times in American history. This book is a âmust haveâ for anyone interested in the Civil War or in popular film and television. It is both discerning and entertaining.
- Gary Hoppenstand, Michigan State University,