Stars and Stripes on Screen
A Comprehensive Guide to Portrayals of American Military on Film
Published on 26. April 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
448 pages
978-0-8108-5412-3 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout the 20th century and beyond, Hollywood has portrayed the U. S. armed services in mortal combat against enemies, real and imagined. Whether in a drama, comedy, or even a musical, the American military has played a role-either as a backdrop or as an integral element-in hundreds of films. Stars and Stripes on Screen is the guide to the portrayal of American armed services in motion pictures from 1898 to the present. It contains entries to more than 1,000 feature films produced in the U.S. and abroad. The guide also includes more than 100 made for television movies and more than 175 documentaries-a list that has never before been compiled, according to the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Each feature film entry identifies the following information: Title, director, producer, primary stars, studio, year of production, running time, and a brief abstract. In addition to this information, the guide also includes valuable details not often found in other guides: The war (or peacetime designation) in which the story took place, the service or services portrayed, and any cooperation that the production received from the American military. The entry also supplies (if applicable) the dates each film was reviewed in Weekly Variety and/or The New York Times. In addition, the guide has ten appendices, including select lists of actors and directors with significant military film credits, key portrayals by subject, significant portrayals of military leadership, and a listing of all military films to receive Academy Awards (R), regardless of category. Most important, the guide contains a chronology of films by service. The wealth of information provided in Stars and Stripes on Screen will make this an indispensable guide for researchers and fans, as well as film and military historians.
Reviews / Votes
For anyone interested in either military or film history, this work is a gem. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. * Booklist, 11/1/2005 * Military historian Suid, and Haverstick, who has edited his books for the past 15 years, cite all the US military films they could find information about. In addition to the usual credits and brief description, they provide review dates to show when the film appeared, have tried to learn whether a film sought and obtained assistance from one or another of the armed services, and discuss the military accuracy of the film. Included are feature films, television films, documentaries, and films with unseen military assistance. There is no index. * Reference and Research Book News * The beauty of this book is that it helps us grasp the politics intrinsic to the making of ever so many films that offend or comply sometimes partially, with the Pentagon's understanding of its interests....This book is so good that serious film scholars or military history buffs will want to keep it at hand for frequent reference. And given the popularity of war films and their influence on public perceptions of history and foreign policy, this book should also be acquired by every university and public library. * Journal of American Culture * This reasonably priced item is suitable for all reference collections, especially those that lack similar materials. Recommended. Undergraduates, two-year program students, graduate students, and general readers. * CHOICE * This book provides a fascinating look at military films....This will be useful in most film collections. * American Reference Books Annual * Clearly, Dr. Suid's motion picture research, especially the war genre, has set the record straight many times....Without a doubt, this commentary-a real gem-sparkles with academic clarity and dry humor....Overall, Stars and Stripes on Screen contains a wealth of information that will please any researcher, film historian, or movie-lover with its exhaustive listings, careful cataloging, and incisive commentary. * Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal * Stars and Stripes on Screen is a fascinating and easy read which will appeal to a general 'browsing' reader as well as to researchers and military historians. For film schools or any educational institution running a media course dealing with film genres at any depth, this is a worthwhile purchase. * s * Stars and Stripes presents an authoritative filmography for historians as well as for casual viewers. * The Journal Of Military History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lanham, MD
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 252 mm
Width: 181 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
771 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8108-5412-3 (9780810854123)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lawrence H. Suid is a military historian whose primary expertise is the study of the symbiotic relationship between the film industry and U.S. armed services. In addition to Guts & Glory, the definitive history of the subject, and Sailing on the Silver Screen, he has written histories of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service and the Army's nuclear power program. Dolores A. Haverstick served as director of human resources in the office of inspector general in the U.S. Department of Labor. She has edited Lawrence Suid's books for the last 15 years.
Content
Part 1 Acknowledgments Part 2 Overview Part 3 Key to Abbreviations Chapter 4 1 Feature Films Chapter 5 2 Television Films Chapter 6 3 Documentaries Chapter 7 4 Films with Unseen Military Assistance Chapter 8 5 Films Considered but Deemed Ineligible Part 9 Appendix I: Films Chronologically by Service Part 10 Appendix II: Films by Subject or Period Part 11 Appendix III: 25 Greatest American Military Films Part 12 Appendix IV: Significant but Highly Flawed Military Films Part 13 Appendix V: 25 Worst American Military Films Part 14 Appendix VI: Portrayals of Military Leadership Part 15 Appendix VII: Select List of Actors with Significant Credits in Military Films Part 16 Appendix VIII: Select List of Directors with Significant Credits in Military Films Part 17 Appendix IX: Academy Award (R)-Winning Military Films Part 18 Appendix X: TV Series Featuring Significant Military Characters/Themes Part 19 Bibliography Part 20 About the Authors