motion pictures and the war

Film critic Richard Schickel looks back on his suburban childhood during World War II, when his love of the movies began, and criticizes the misleading pictures of war, the American government, and the home front that films of the time presented.

"The untold story of how Hollywood changed World War II, and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the prism of five film directors caught up in the war: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens."--Publisher.

Describes how politics, propaganda, and profits were combined to influence American films during World War II.

Examines the role of films in the historical interpretation of World War II, looking at how the images provided in movies such as "Sands of Iwo Jima, " and "The Longest Day, " have affected the ways in which Americans remember the conflict.