Selling Hollywood to the World: US and European Struggles for Mastery of the Global Film Industry, 1920-1950

by John Trumpbour

Overview

The global expansion of Hollywood and American popular culture in the first decades of the twentieth century met with strong opposition worldwide. Determined to defeat such resistance, the Hollywood moguls of the time created a powerful trade organization that worked closely with the U.S. State Department in an effort to expand the American film industry's dominance. This book offers insight into and analysis of European efforts to overcome the American film industry's pre-eminence. In contributing to the understanding of American popular culture at home and abroad, it demonstrates Hollywood's role in orchestrating the American century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521651561
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/25/2002
Series:	Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communication
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	398
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.22(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The United States: 1. The domestic roots of Hollywood's foreign policy: censorship and corporatism in the formation of the MPPDA, 1921–41; 2. Hollywood and the State department: overseas expansion and America's subversion; 3. The MPAA and the State department: order and autonomy in the postwar world; Part II. Great Britain: 4. Grierson, the documentary spirit and the projection of Britain; 5. The Korda road to riches, recovery and ruin; 6. The age of rank; 7. The US-UK film conflict: the fading dream of mastering Hollywood; Part III. Two Continental Case Studies: Belgium and France: 8. Belgium and the making of an international Catholic film movement; 9. France and resistance to Hollywood: empire, artisans and the state; 10. France and the politics of state intervention; Conclusion; Notes; Selected bibliography; Filmography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...a well-researched synthesis of Hollywood history that adds useful insight to the vibrant field of transatlantic studies..." American Studies International

"...a rich resource for anyone interested in what has been at stake in the interplay between Hollywood and its rival cinemas...a well-researched work that enriches our understanding of a complex relationship that continues to impact communities around the world." Film Quarterly

"Interesting and important..." Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"Joining the distinguished "Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communications" series, this deserving book takes its place on the shelf with such fine works as Kristin Thompson's Exporting Entertainment.... Well indexed with a good bibliography and a few stills, this is a book for graduate students, researchers, and faculty." Choice

"Trumpbour is to be congratulated for never treating complex issues as simple matters of black or white...[his] research is impressive...and the book has tremendous value for the background it provides on current debates about globalization and Hollywood's continuing domination of the international film scene." Business History Review

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