Ralph Donald – författare

As they transition into adulthood, many American boys and young men spend a considerable amount of time engaging in physical sports, playing violent video games, and watching action movies, including war films. In many cases, boys spend more time exposed to media models than they do with their fathers. If, as social learning theorists say, masculinity is learned directly through a system of positive and negative reinforcement, what manly behaviors do war films clearly define and reinforce? And what un-manly behaviors do war films clearly prohibit?In Reel Men at War: Masculinity and the American War Film, authors Ralph Donald and Karen MacDonald consider the influence that war films bring to bear on the socialization of young boys in America. Analyzing nearly 150 American war films and television programs, this book considers such issues as major male stereotypes-both positive and negative-in film, the influence of sports as an alternate to mortal combat, why men admire war and value winning so highly, and how war films define manly courage.Throughout the book the authors comment on the depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder, the stages of grief, and suicide in war films, as well as applying Jungian and Freudian theories to war and soldiering. Reel Men at War will be of interest not only to professors and students of cinema and mass communications but also to scholars of history, gender studies, and sociology.

War has been depicted in cinema for more than a century, from early silent films to more recent blockbusters such as Saving Private Ryan and Lone Survivor. Most war films, especially combat films, are about men engaged in battle. But while Hollywood has reinforced the cultural stereotype of war as a man’s job, women have not been completely invisible in many of these films, whether waiting for their men to return home or standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts on the battlefield. In Women in War Films: From Helpless Heroine to G.I. Jane, Ralph Donald and Karen MacDonald examine the representations of females in war throughout the history of film. They identify various types of women portrayed in these films, from home-front wives and daughters supporting their loved ones from afar to nurses and doctors stationed near the front lines of combat. The authors also look at depictions of foreign females who comfort homesick soldiers, ordinary women who unexpectedly encounter the enemy, female spies, and modern enlistees taking on roles traditionally reserved for men. Through these representations, the authors explore what war films say about the culture that created them and the social construction of reality that these films assert. The book covers an array of war films distributed in the United States, including Hearts of the World, Wings, Mata Hari, Mrs. Miniver, Casablanca, Cry “Havoc,”Since You Went Away, The Best Years of Our Lives, From Here to Eternity, The Americanization of Emily, M*A*S*H, Coming Home, Courage under Fire, G.I. Jane, and Zero Dark Thirty. Featuring an extensive filmography, Women in War Films will appeal to scholars of gender studies, history, and film, as well as to readers interested in the evolving portrayals of females in military-related cinema.

War has been depicted in cinema for more than a century, from early silent films to more recent blockbusters such as Saving Private Ryan and Lone Survivor. Most war films, especially combat films, are about men engaged in battle. But while Hollywood has reinforced the cultural stereotype of war as a man’s job, women have not been completely invisible in many of these films, whether waiting for their men to return home or standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts on the battlefield. In Women in War Films: From Helpless Heroine to G.I. Jane, Ralph Donald and Karen MacDonald examine the representations of females in war throughout the history of film. They identify various types of women portrayed in these films, from home-front wives and daughters supporting their loved ones from afar to nurses and doctors stationed near the front lines of combat. The authors also look at depictions of foreign females who comfort homesick soldiers, ordinary women who unexpectedly encounter the enemy, female spies, and modern enlistees taking on roles traditionally reserved for men. Through these representations, the authors explore what war films say about the culture that created them and the social construction of reality that these films assert. The book covers an array of war films distributed in the United States, including Hearts of the World, Wings, Mata Hari, Mrs. Miniver, Casablanca, Cry “Havoc,”Since You Went Away, The Best Years of Our Lives, From Here to Eternity, The Americanization of Emily, M*A*S*H, Coming Home, Courage under Fire, G.I. Jane, and Zero Dark Thirty. Featuring an extensive filmography, Women in War Films will appeal to scholars of gender studies, history, and film, as well as to readers interested in the evolving portrayals of females in military-related cinema.

Frequently referred to as “the Greatest Generation,” Americans of the World War II era were influenced by Hollywood’s depictions of their nation, its role in world affairs, and the virtue of its involvement in the war. Stories of the bravery and heroism of the American military—as well as the moral and political threat posed by the enemy—filled movie screens across the country to garner passionate support for wartime policies.In Hollywood Enlists! Propaganda Films of World War II, Ralph Donald explores how the studios supported the war effort and helped shape the attitudes of an entire generation. Through films the studios appealed to the public’s sense of nationalism, demonized the enemy, and stressed that wartime sacrifices would result in triumph. The author contends that American films of the period used sophisticated, but often overlooked, strategies of propaganda to ideologically unite the country. While these strategies have long been associated with political speeches and writings during the war, little in-depth consideration has been given to their use in the era’s cinema.By examining major motion pictures—including Casablanca, The Flying Tigers, Mrs. Miniver, Sergeant York, They Were Expendable, and many others—Donald illustrates how various propaganda techniques aligned the nation’s entertainment with government aims. Hollywood Enlists! will appeal to readers with interests in war films and motion picture history, as well as politics and social history.