The American political film is one of the most pervasive yet least scrutinized genres in Hollywood cinema. It has reflected and addressed major issues and tensions at the heart of American life over the last seventy-five years – from the national emergency of the Great Depression in the early 1930s ("Gabriel Over the White House") and the pre-Pearl Harbor paeans to democracy ("Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") to potential threats of demagoguery and domestic fascism ("Citizen Kane"); from the Kennedy-esque pragmatism ("Advise and Consent") and conspiracy paradigms ("The Manchurian Candidate") of the Camelot era to the post-9.11 hysteria of George W. Bush's America ("Silver City").
Ranging widely across both US political and Hollywood history, Michael Coyne brings passion and originality to this incisive survey of American political films. Analyzing key works, both familiar and also previously under-appreciated, the author examines their mythology, ideology and iconography.
Coyne ultimately argues that the genre's legacy is of vital cultural significance, particularly at a time when civil liberties are under attack within the United States. His book will appeal to "politics junkies" and film enthusiasts alike.
About author
Michael Coyne is the author of "The Crowded Prairie: American National Identity in the Hollywood Western" (1997) and the novel "The Sun from Both Sides" (2006).
Reviews
"A wide-ranging survey of the American political film... Coyne does an excellent job of linking actors with their archetypal roles, such as Henry Fonda and his serene, sagacious statesmen, and identifying the less conspicuous similarities between the films he discusses" – Times Literary Supplement
"Dissections of horror, noir and sci-fi are two-a-penny, but studies of the political movie are less so. Coyne stakes out a brisk claim on this rarely plotted terrain in his packed tome, tracing the genre's history from the early '30s to now. Coyne's fuel is one part scholarly research to several parts rousing rage: his feelings about Bush prompt the contention that these films are needed 'now, more than ever'" – Total Film
"Coyne presents a compelling case for America's political cinema: that it has been pervasive and persistently on target – and often ahead of the game – with its critical engagements... Coyne's thesis about American political cinema is likely to ring as true in the future as it does retrospectively" – Scotland on Sunday
"Film historian Michael Coyne chronicles the politics of paranoia, presidential politics, and the politics of nationhood and national identity in his brief but dense 'Hollywood Goes to Washington: American Politics on Screen'. By turns chatty and analytical, Coyne's book is one of the first to identify and quantify the genre of the political film... Coyne demonstrates a ready and, when necessary, encyclopedic grasp of the films... His analyses integrate effectively his knowledge of American history and politics, film history, sociology, and a smattering of popular culture to brew a satisfying mug of rich cultural coffee, one you want to savor, appreciate its aroma and warm your hands with" – Cineaste
"does a fine job of evaluating some current debates in the field, and articulating a greater theoretical model for scholars to employ their own analyses. You might not share all the judgements on offer, but this book is provocative, enticing and obdurate, and much the better for that" – American Studies
"There are few things I find more satisfying than watching a bang-on Hollywood political thriller. Michael Coyne's respectful, perceptive analysis of the genre, 'Hollywood Goes to Washington: American Politics on Screen', is a vital contribution to the surprisingly small body of criticism devoted to this often-great (and sometimes-appalling) genre... an entertaining overview of the complex interactions between politics and cinema" – Media-Culture
"a clear and engaging overview of a large number of films, even shining a spotlight on several lesser-known or forgotten gems... Coyne's prose can be highly engaging... an enjoyable read and would be a useful text in introducing students to many of the major (and minor) films dealing with American politics" – Scope
"Michael Coyne briskly surveys the rich landscape of films about the American political system. With vivid and often witty analysis, he enables us to discern hitherto murky patterns in the genre's constant interplay between idealism and pessimism about America's future. Readers of all political persuasions will find much to argue with here, as I did with some of his contentions, but that's part of the challenge Coyne offers in his provocative and pugnacious study" – Joseph McBride, author of Searching for John Ford and Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success
