The American Film History Reader

"Lewis and Smoodin have assembled an absolutely essential reader for scholars and students of American film history. Structured around eighteen key essays, the book is far more than a survey of important films; it is, most importantly, a compelling reminder that any film history should reflect a spectrum of historiographic methods." Timothy Corrigan, Director of Cinema Studies, University of Pennsylvania "Lewis and Smoodin - the scholarly equivalent of a star-powered Hollywood double-act - have brilliantly assembled a collection of essays that enable readers to examine both the history of American film and the changing historiographic practices that address that commercial art form. I can think of no better guides, and the book they have produced will rightly become integral to the ways we teach American film history." Lee Grieveson, Director of the Graduate Programme in Film Studies, University College London "As editors, [Smoodin and Lewis] have distinctly articulated their reasons for each and every article and do a thorough job of situating each selection in both its framework and the larger field of media historiography... If there are individuals who cling stubbornly to the notion that an Ivory Tower still exists in academia, Eric Smoodin and Jon Lewis are certainly not among them. The publication of The American Film History Reader is a testament to their belief that there has always been more than one film history to write, and more than one method to writing it." Regina Longo, in Film Quarterly

Jon Lewis is professor of Film Studies at Oregon State University and the former editor of Cinema Journal. He has published nine books, including Whom God Wishes to Destroy Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood and Hollywood v. Hard Core: How the Struggle over Censorship Saved the Modern Film Industry. Eric Smoodin is professor of American Studies at the University of California, Davis. Most recently, he is the author of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Regarding Frank Capra: Audience, Celebrity, and American Film Studies, 1930-1960.

Introduction Part I: Industrial Practice Part II: Technology Part III: Reception Part IV: Films and Filmmakers Part V: Censorship and Regulation Part VI: Stardom Index