Cecil B. DeMille, Classical Hollywood, and Modern American Mass Culture

This book uses the long and profitable career of Cecil B. DeMille to track the evolution of Classical Hollywood and its influence on emerging mass commercial culture in the US. DeMille's success rested on how well his films presumed a broad consensus in the American publicexpressed through consumer hedonism, faith, and an exceptional national historywhich merged seamlessly with the efficient production methods developed by the largest integrated studios. DeMille's sudden mid-career shift away from spectator perversity to corporate propagandist permanently tarnished the director's historical standing among scholars, yet should not overshadow the profound links between his success and the rise and fall of mid-century mass culture.

Utilizes extensive primary archival sourcesmany not previously recorded in the literatureto engage in debates surrounding audience affectation, censorship, stardom, the ideological purposes of mass culture, and the political shifts of Hollywood from 1910 to 1960 Details how DeMille's success (and his libertarian political views) track very closely to the events the nation has witnessed over the past four years, including the rise of political demagogues and the sharpening of libertarian political rhetoric One of the first extended texts to analytically assess DeMille's place in shaping and reflecting broad cultural change, from 1910 to 1960, rather than simply treating DeMille as a biographical subject

Autorentext

David Blanke is Professor of History at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi, USA. His previously published works include studies of American car culture and modern mass consumerism. He is currently at work, with Sue Matheson, on a comparative study of Hollywood legends Cecil B. DeMille and John Ford.

Inhalt

1. Locating DeMille.- 2. The Brand.- 3. The Wanderer.- 4. A New and Filmable Past.- 5. Greetings from Mr. Hollywood.- 6. Who is Cecil B. DeMille?.- 7. Behold Their Mighty Hands.- 8. Re-Locating DeMille.