This course looks at Hollywood movies and extracts from them the history of the times in which they were made. While films such as Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) or On The Waterfront (1954) were overtly political, many Hollywood films offer perhaps unintended insights into American society. These are the films of escapism made purely for the purposes of entertainment but the very idea of escapism is in itself a political statement. We shall also consider the studios’ relationships with Washington, which they actively courted during the New Deal and WWII while remaining fearful of federal interference and notably self-conscious of their Jewish heritage.

Residential £405
Non-residential £285