Triumph Over Containment: American Film in the 1950s

In the long 1950s, America experienced a period of "containment culture" characterized by the reinforcement of traditional family values and the blacklisting of suspected communist sympathizers from the entertainment industry. However, some brave filmmakers and actors challenged the status quo and produced indelible and imaginative work that delivered uncomfortable truths to Cold War audiences. Triumph Over Containment explores some of the greatest films and directors of the era, from household names like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick to lesser-known iconoclasts like Samuel Fuller and Ida Lupino. It examines how these films resisted the repressive and oppressive norms of Cold War culture, particularly in the genres of melodrama and science fiction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2021
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

The long 1950s, spanning from the early postwar period to the early 1960s, were a period of "containment culture" in America, characterized by the media's efforts to reinforce traditional family values and the blacklisting of suspected communist sympathizers from the entertainment industry. Despite these challenges, a handful of brave filmmakers and actors dared to challenge the status quo and produce indelible and imaginative work that delivered uncomfortable truths to Cold War audiences. Triumph Over Containment presents an uncompromising exploration of some of the era's greatest films and directors, ranging from household names like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick to lesser-known iconoclasts like Samuel Fuller and Ida Lupino. Covering a diverse range of films, from The Thing from Another World (1951) to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), acclaimed film scholar Robert P. Kolker delves into various genres to uncover pockets of resistance to the repressive and oppressive norms of Cold War culture. Special attention is given to two quintessential 1950s genres, the melodrama and the science fiction film, which, despite their apparent opposites, offered pointed responses to containment culture.

This book offers a fresh perspective on directors such as Nicholas Ray, John Ford, and Orson Welles, while also providing readers with a newfound appreciation for the depth and artistry of 1950s Hollywood films. By examining the ways in which these filmmakers challenged the status quo and pushed the boundaries of cinematic expression, Triumph Over Containment sheds light on the enduring legacy of this transformative period in American history.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 160 x 237 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978820920