The Hollywood War Film and Conflict

This chapter assesses the importance of films about wars, which crystallises an image of the conflict depicted that remains influential at the time of its release and for audiences in the years after it was made. It argues that the significant amount of people's knowledge and understanding about any particular war comes more from films made about the conflict than textbooks or documentaries. It also describes films about modern wars that provide a cultural battleground for interpretations of how they are viewed at the time and how they will be understood by generations to come. The chapter mentions Alison Landsberg, who asserts that cinema gives powerful experiences which both resonate and influence the perception of events just as forcefully as firsthand memories. It examines the role of films in the way wars come to be understood and how master narratives are largely constructed in the national imaginary through the cinema.