Hollywood\u27s War with Poland, 1939-1945

Abstract

During World War II, Hollywood studios supported the war effort by making patriotic movies designed to raise the nation\u27s morale. These movies often portrayed the combatants in very simple terms: Americans and their allies were heroes, and everyone else was a villain. Norway, France, Czechoslovakia, and England were all good because they had been invaded or victimized by Nazi Germany. Poland, however, was represented in a negative light in numerous movies. This book draws on a close study of prewar and wartime films such as To Be or Not to Be (1942), In Our Time (1944), and None Shall Escape (1944). For the book, memoirs, letters, diaries, and memoranda written by screenwriters, directors, studio heads, and actors were researched to explore the negative portrayal of Poland during World War II. The book also examines the political climate that influenced Hollywood films.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_film_and_media_studies/1036/thumbnail.jp