First published 2000
Peter Biskind compiles The Nation magazine's cinema writing spanning over a century of American film. The radical weekly began covering movies in 1913, when an editorial noted that Robert Burns's prayer had been answered through cinema's power to show us ourselves. Biskind traces how the magazine attracted provocative writers who challenged conventional wisdom. The publication condemned Birth of a Nation in 1915, though critic James Agee later praised the film and rejected claims of racism. Contributors debated cinema's moral impact while Sergei Eisenstein celebrated his Battleship Potemkin's psychological effects. The magazine chronicled Hollywood's labor battles and opposed McCarthyist blacklists when few dared speak out. Writers examined censorship, free speech, and Hollywood's monopolistic control over political discourse. This collection features pieces by James Agee, Manny Farber, Susan Sontag, Edward Said, Arthur Miller, Dalton Trumbo, and many others who brought The Nation's critical spirit to film analysis.
Genres: history, 20th-century, 21st-century, activism, film, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-nonfiction
Setting: America, Hollywood
Period: 1913, 1915, 20th-century, 21st-century
252 pages · Paperback · Nation Books