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Film Criticism, the Cold War, and the Blacklist examines the long-term reception of several key American films released during the postwar period, focusing on the two main critical lenses used in the interpretation of these films: propaganda and allegory. Produced in response to the hearings held by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) that resulted in the Hollywood blacklist, these films' ideological message and rhetorical effectiveness was often muddled by the inherent difficulties in dramatizing villains defined by their thoughts and belief systems rather than their actions. Whereas anti-Communist propaganda films offered explicit political exhortation, allegory was the preferred vehicle for veiled or hidden political comment in many police procedurals, historical films, Westerns, and science fiction films. Jeff Smith examines the way that particular heuristics, such as the mental availability of exemplars and the effects of framing, have encouraged critics to match filmic elements to contemporaneous historical events, persons, and policies. In charting the development of these particular readings, Film Criticism, the Cold War, and the Blacklist features case studies of many canonical Cold War titles, including The Red Menace, On the Waterfront, The Robe, High Noon, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Film --- anno 1900-1999 --- United States --- Motion pictures --- Cold War in motion pictures. --- Communism and motion pictures --- Blacklisting of entertainers --- Political aspects --- History --- Entertainers --- Communism and moving-pictures --- Motion pictures and communism --- Blacklisting --- 20th century american culture. --- 20th century american history. --- allegory. --- american entertainment culture. --- american films. --- anti communist propaganda. --- cold war. --- communism. --- critical lens. --- entertainment blacklist. --- film and television. --- film criticism. --- film history. --- historical films. --- hollywood blacklist. --- hollywood. --- house committee on un american activities. --- huac. --- literary allegory. --- movie studies. --- police procedures. --- political. --- politics. --- postwar period. --- propaganda films. --- propaganda. --- science fiction films. --- villains. --- westerns. --- United States of America