Synopses & Reviews
Cinematic depictions of real U.S. presidents from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush explore how Hollywood movies represent American history and politics on screen. Morgan and his contributors show how films blend myth and reality to present a positive message about presidents as the epitome of Americas values and idealism until unpopular foreign wars in Vietnam and Iraq led to a darker portrayal of the imperial presidency, operated by Richard Nixon and Bush 43. This exciting new collection further considers how Hollywood has continually reinterpreted historically significant presidents, notably Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to fit the times in which movies about them were made.
Review
“The collaborators of this volume have focused on how real/actual presidents have been depicted in motion pictures and how those portraits have contributed to the historical reputation and image of the office holders. There is no end to the study and interest in the presidency in film. Every possible perspective on the topic of the presidency is of value these days as the chief executives power increases beyond traditional boundaries.”—Peter C. Rollins, Regents Professor, Emeritus of English, Oklahoma State University and Winner of the 2011 Oklahoma Humanities Award
About the Author
Iwan W. Morgan is Professor of U.S. Studies and Director of the United States Presidency Centre at the Institute for the Study of the Americas. He has written widely on the presidency, including Nixon (2002). His most recent book, The Age of Deficits: Presidents and Unbalanced Budgets from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush (2009) won the American Politics Groups Richard E. Neustadt Prize.
Table of Contents
Transition: The Making of Screen Presidents --Ian Scott * D. W. Griffiths
Lincoln--Melvyn Stokes * The ‘Picture Man: The Cinematic Strife of Theodore Roosevelt--Brian Neve * Darryl F. Zanucks
Wilson (1944)--Mark Wheeler * The “Confidence” President: Franklin D. Roosevelt in Film--Harry Keyishian * The Cinematic Kennedy:
Thirteen Days and the Burnishing of an Image--Mark White * The President Impeached:
Tennessee Johnson and
Nixon--Iwan Morgan * Oliver Stones Improbable ‘
W.--Kingsley Marshall