Cinema and the Wealth of Nations: Media, Capital, and the Liberal World System PDF
Preview Cinema and the Wealth of Nations: Media, Capital, and the Liberal World System
Cinema and the Wealth of Nations Media, Capital, and the Liberal World System Lee Grieveson UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Praise for Cinema and the Wealth of Nations “ Th ere are few books in fi lm and media studies that can match the scope, erudi- tion, explanatory ambition, and polemical edge of Lee Grieveson’s invaluable his- tory of how corporations and government agencies deployed and fundamentally shaped cinema (and other media) as an engine for and emblem of advanced lib- eral capitalism.” gregory a. waller, Provost Professor in the Media School, Indiana University “G rieveson presents the defi nitive account of media’s primacy to our modern world’s corporatized and imperiled commons. Th is is paradigm-shift ing work that lays bare for the fi rst time—with lucidity, breadth of vision, and unparalleled detail—the logic of liberal capitalism underwriting fi lm’s and radio’s infrastruc- tural history in Britain and the United States.” priya jaikumar, Associate Professor, Department of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California “L ee Grieveson’s cultural-materialist tour de force ruthlessly examines the global history of movies and money, detailing the sordid global backstory behind the uncertain and unequal balance between art and commerce. Th is rigorously researched and deeply felt radical media study evinces a perceptive and thor- oughgoing analysis of a medium that has from its outset served an exploitative political economy.” jon lewis, author of Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles “ Th is book is a brilliant synthesis of biopolitical theory and concrete historical research. Grieveson shows us how the imperial ambitions of the United States materialize in the content and infrastructure of American media industries. His lucid and persuasive prose dramatizes the centrality of media systems in evolving conceptions of global governance and state power.” anna mccarthy, Professor of Cinema Studies, New York University “ Th e interpenetration of the state, fi nance capitalism, and fi lm is central to this formidable book. I am awed by the volume of scholarship, the force of the analy- sis, and the style of the narrative. Th is is a book that will open up a signifi cant subfi eld in fi lm studies.” colin maccabe, Distinguished Professor of English and Film, University of Pittsburgh “ Cinema and the Wealth of Nations is an extremely important book that, in terms of its potential infl uence on the fi eld, is on a par with Georges Sadoul’s Histoire générale du cinema (1946–1950) or Th e Classical Hollywood Cinema of Bordwell, Th ompson, and Staiger (1985). Th is is one of the most consequential books of fi lm history that I have ever read, and it is poised to ask us to deeply rethink the cur- rent state of the fi eld of fi lm history as practiced in the Anglo-American context.” mark lynn anderson, author of Twilight of the Idols: Hollywood and the Human Sciences in 1920s America “ Th is is an immensely ambitious study of the role fi lm and radio have played in establishing the global economic dominance of the United States and the power of its large corporations. It evokes and (invokes) the work of Perry Anderson, Antonio Gramsci, Manuel Castells, and Immanuel Wallerstein and is surely the most succcessful attempt in this century to write a big picture history of vertical integration and corporate control of media production. We are all in Grieveson’s debt for a landmark book that is certain to raise the level of scholarly discussion and in an age of continuing consolidation in the media industry could not be more timely.” edward dimendberg, Professor of Humanities, University of California, Irvine “B y combining perceptive fi lm analyses and extensive archival research with an astonishing command of scholarship in a range of disciplines and an intense pas- sion for politics, Grieveson poses a serious challenge to fi lm and media historians: dig deeper, think bigger, be relevant!” peter krämer, author of Th e New Hollywood: From Bonnie and Clyde to Star Wars Cinema and the Wealth of Nations Th e publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ahmanson Foundation Humanities Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation. Cinema and the Wealth of Nations Media, Capital, and the Liberal World System Lee Grieveson UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2018 by Th e Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Grieveson, Lee, 1969- author. Title: Cinema and the wealth of nations : media, capital, and the liberal world system / Lee Grieveson. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifi ers: lccn 2017019642 (print) | lccn 2017022858 (ebook) | isbn 9780520965348 (ebook) | isbn 9780520291683 (cloth : alk. paper) | isbn 9780520291690 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh: Motion pictures—Political aspects—United States. | Industrial fi lms—United States. | Motion pictures in propaganda— United States. | Motion pictures and globalization. | Capitalism and mass media. Classifi cation: lcc pn1995.9.p6 (ebook) | lcc pn1995.9.p6 g75 2017 (print) | ddc 791.43/6581—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017019642 Manufactured in the United States of America 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Lora, and the future, with love In memory of Barbara, Campbell, Ken, Moyra, Susan, and Vallie This page intentionally left blank contents List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Th e Silver Screen and the Gold Standard 1 2. Th e Panama Caper 21 3. Empire of Liberty 37 4. Liberty Bonds 68 5. Th e State of Extension 83 6. Th e Work of Film in the Age of Fordist Mechanization 117 7. Th e Pan-American Road to Happiness and Friendship 142 8. Highways of Empire 158 9. League of Corporations 195 10. Th e Silver Chains of Mimesis 214 11. Th e Golden Harvest of the Silver Screen 247 12. Welfare Media 287 13. Th e World of Tomorrow—Today! 313 Notes 337 Sources and Bibliography 415 Index 455
The list of books you might like
