Shadows on the past

studies in the historical fiction film

Add to my list

by Leger Grindon

Type

Studies

Subject

Genre > Historical films

Keywords

historical films, politics, ideology

Publishing date

1994

Publisher

Temple University Press

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 250 pages
6 ¼ x 9 ½ inches (16 x 24 cm)

ISBN-10
ISBN-13

1-56639-181-4
978-1-56639-181-8

User Ratings

(0 vote)

X

Average rating:

0	rating	= We can do without
0	rating	= Good book
0	rating	= Excellent book
0	rating	= Unique / a reference

Your rating: -

Book Presentation:
Studying popular Hollywood films from Gone With the Wind to Reds and such distinguished European films as La Marseillaise and The Rise to Power of Louis XIV, Leger Grindon examines how historical fiction films interpret the present through a representation of the past.

The historical fiction film is characterized by a set of motives and, Grindon argues, deserves to be considered a genre unto itself. Appropriation of historical events can insinuate a film's authority of its subject, veil an intention, provide an escape into nostalgia, or direct a search for knowledge and origins. Utilizing the past as a way of responding to social conflicts in the present, Grindon shows how the genre promotes a political agenda, superseding the influence of scholarship on the public's perception and interpretation of history.

About the Author:
Leger Grindon is Assistant Professor of Film and Television Studies at Middlebury College

Press Reviews:
"This book is a unique and significant contribution to scholarship. It is the first work to deal with the historical film in meaningful terms, and will no doubt help to set the terms by which such films will be discussed in the future." —Robert A. Rosenstone, California Institute of Technology

"Thoughtful and detailed, this (is) an excellent work." —Choice

See the publisher website: Temple University Press