1st Edition

Visions of Yesterday

By Jeffrey Richards Copyright 1973
    416 Pages
    by Routledge

    416 Pages
    by Routledge

    Film is an important source of social history, as well as having been a popular art form from the early twentieth century. This study shows how a society, consciously or unconsciously, is mirrored in its cinema. It considers the role of the cinema in dramatizing popular beliefs and myths, and takes three case studies – American populism, British imperialism, German Nazism – to explain how a nation’s pressures, tensions and hopes come through in its films. Examining the American cinema is accomplished by analysing the careers of three great directors, John Ford, Frank Capra and Leo McCarey, while the British and German cinemas are studied by theme. The analysis of the British Empire as seen in film broke exciting new ground with a pioneering account of ‘the cinema of Empire’ when it was first published in 1973.

    With full filmographies and a carefully selected bibliography it is an outstanding work of reference and its lively approach makes it a delight to read.

    Reviews of the original edition:

    ‘A work of considerable force and considerable wit.’ – Clive James, Observer

    ‘…a work that is original, mentally stimulating and most pleasurable to read.’ – Focus on Film

    Introduction  Part 1: The Cinema of Empire  1. Towards a Definition of the Cinema of Empire  2. The Ideology of Empire  3. Literature of Empire  4. Myths and Myth-Figures  5. The Old School Tie  6. The Imperial Archetype  7. The Importance of Being English  8. The White Man’s Burden  9. The Gods of Empire  10. Officers and Other Ranks  11. The Naval Tradition  12. East is East and West is West…  13. …and Never the Twain Shall Meet  Part 2: The Cinema of Populism  14. The Ideology of Populism  15. Frank Capra: The Classic Populist  16. Leo McCarey: The Fantasy of Goodwill  17. John Ford: The Folk Memory  Part 3: The Cinema of National Socialism  18. The Ideology of National Socialism  19. Leni Riefenstahl – The Documentary and Myth  20. Nazi Feature Films: Themes and Archetypes  21. Nazi Feature Films 2: Discipline, Comradeship and Fatherland  22. The Eternal Jew and Perfidious Albion.  Conclusions.  Appendix: Filmographies.  Select Bibliography.  General Index.  Index of Film Titles

    Biography

    Jeffrey Richards