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THE HOLLYWOOD HISTORICAL FILM 9781405146029 1 Pre.Qxd 26/10/2007 10:38 AM Page Ii 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page i THE HOLLYWOOD HISTORICAL FILM 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 26/10/2007 10:38 AM Page ii NEW APPROACHES TO FILM GENRE Series Editor: Barry Keith Grant New Approaches to Film Genre provides students and teachers with original, insightful, and entertaining overviews of major film genres. Each book in the series gives an historical appreciation of its topic, from its origins to the present day, and identifies and discusses the important films, directors, trends, and cycles. Authors articulate their own critical perspective, placing the genre’s development in relevant social, historical, and cultural contexts. For students, scholars, and film buffs alike, these represent the most concise and illuminating texts on the study of film genre. 1 From Shane to Kill Bill: Rethinking the Western, Patrick McGee 2 The Horror Film, Rick Worland 3 The Hollywood Historical Film, Robert Burgoyne Forthcoming: 4 Film Noir, William Luhr 5 The Religious Film, Pamela Grace 6 The War Film, Robert T. Eberwein 7 The Fantasy Film, Katherine A. Fowkes 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page iii THE HOLLYWOOD HISTORICAL FILM ROBERT BURGOYNE 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page iv © 2008 by Robert Burgoyne BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Robert Burgoyne to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. First published 2008 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2008 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burgoyne, Robert, 1949– The Hollywood historical film / Robert Burgoyne. p. cm. — (New approaches to film genre) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-4602-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4051-4603-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Historical films—United States—History and criticism. I. Title. PN1995.9.H5B89 2008 791.43′6580973—dc22 2007024732 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 11/13pt Bembo by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong Printed and bound in Singapore by C.O.S. Printers Pte Ltd The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website at www.blackwellpublishing.com 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page v This book is dedicated to my mother, Patricia O’Donnell Burgoyne 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page vi 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:58 AM Page vii CONTENTS List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 1 The Cinematic Writing of History: An Overview 22 2 The War Film: Saving Private Ryan 50 3 The Epic Film: Gladiator and Spartacus 74 4 The Biographical Film: Schindler’s List 100 5 The Metahistorical Film: JFK 125 6 The Topical Historical Film: United 93 and World Trade Center 148 Index 170 CONTENTS vii 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page viii ILLUSTRATIONS 1.1 “Sic semper tyrannus!” Reenactment as facsimile: John Wilkes Booth (Raoul Walsh) leaping from the balcony after assassinating Abraham Lincoln ( Joseph Henabery) in D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915) 27 1.2 Outside the Babylon Gate, one of the magnificent sets of D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916) 28 1.3 Carnage in the trenches: the war film as antiwar drama in Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) 31 1.4 Judah Ben-Hur (Ramon Novarro) driving the chariot in a scene that defined the American epic on stage and on screen (1925) 35 1.5 Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and Messala (Stephen Boyd) in Ben-Hur, considered by many to be the highest achievement of the epic form (1959) 37 2.1 The first battle in Saving Private Ryan, the assault on the beach (1998) 53 viii ILLUSTRATIONS 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page ix 2.2 Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) as the citizen-soldier in Saving Private Ryan (1998) 59 2.3 Private Ryan (Matt Damon) in the ruins of Remielle, having gotten his direction home. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 68 3.1 The patrician Crassus (Laurence Olivier), lord of all he surveys – with certain exceptions. Spartacus (1960) 78 3.2 Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) and Draba (Woody Strode), forced to fight “to the death,” embody the violent testing that is at the heart of the male epic. Spartacus (1960) 87 3.3 Draba (Woody Strode) at a moment of decision. Sparing Spartacus (Kirk Douglas), he decides to sacrifice himself, leaping onto the parapet and inspiring the slave rebellion that follows. Spartacus (1960) 88 3.4 Chained together in the ring, Maximus (Russell Crowe) and Juba (Djimon Honsou) replay the black–white pairing of Spartacus and Draba, but instead of fighting each other, they perform as a virtuoso pair. Gladiator (2000) 91 3.5 The only undefeated gladiator in the history of Rome, Tigris of Gaul, is defeated by Maximus (Russell Crowe). This sets up a scene that echoes Spartacus, as Maximus refuses to kill Tigris of Gaul, despite the “thumbs down” of the Emperor Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix). Gladiator (2000) 95 3.6 Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) tells Maximus (Russell Crowe) he can “go to them,” as he passes into Elysium. Maximus’ death in the sand of the Colosseum provides the germs of new life. Gladiator (2000) 96 4.1 The glamorous Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), ready for his close-up – the climax of an elaborate cinematic introduction detailing all the accoutrements of Schindler’s “presentation.” Schindler’s List (1993) 106 4.2 Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) as Charlie Kane, surrounded by his new best friends. Schindler’s success in attracting the Nazi power brokers of Kraków unfolds in a dazzling montage that recalls the banquet scene of Citizen Kane. Schindler’s List (1993) 107 ILLUSTRATIONS ix 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page x 4.3 Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) and Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) discuss the fate of Helen Hirsch, Goeth’s housekeeper. Goeth and Schindler are studies in contrasting “styles” of masculinity, a duality that excludes the central role played by Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) in Schindler’s journey. Schindler’s List (1993) 117 4.4 Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) “selects” Helen Hirsch (Embeth Davidtz) to be his housekeeper. Her beauty makes her particularly vulnerable to Goeth, who imagines her as a forbidden temptress as well as his secret bride. Schindler’s List (1993) 119 5.1 “One of the grossest lies ever forced upon the American people, we’ve come to know it as the ‘magic bullet’ theory.” Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) reconstructs the murder of President John F. Kennedy. JFK (1991) 137 5.2 Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is shot by Jack Ruby in the basement of the Dallas Police Station. JFK (1991) 139 5.3 Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and Lou Ivon ( Jay O. Sanders) rehearse the extraordinary feat of marksmanship attributed to Lee Harvey Oswald from the sixth-floor window of the Book Depository. JFK (1991) 144 6.1 The passengers of United 93 move with collective purpose against the terrorist hijackers. United 93 (2006) 151 6.2 The Northeast Air Defense Sector, with its old-fashioned “green-eyes” radar screens, tries valiantly to cope with the 9/11 crisis. United 93 (2006) 157 6.3 Ben Sliney, head of the National Air Traffic Control Center, playing himself during the 9/11 crisis. United 93 (2006) 158 6.4 Officer Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) notices the shadow of one of the planes, a blot that enters the frame. World Trade Center (2006) 159 6.5 The ruins of the World Trade Center, a “place of memory” fraught with emotion. World Trade Center (2006) 161 x ILLUSTRATIONS 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page xi 6.6 Sergeant McCloughlin (Nicolas Cage) with his team of volunteers, about to cross a historical threshold. World Trade Center (2006) 162 6.7 The love song of memory: Donna McCloughlin (Maria Bello) as John remembers her. World Trade Center (2006) 164 6.8 The future, the past, and the memory that links them. Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) and his wife Allison (Maggie Gyllenhaal) discuss the name of their unborn child. World Trade Center (2006) 165 ILLUSTRATIONS xi 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page xii 9781405146029_1_pre.qxd 22/10/2007 10:59 AM Page xiii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to begin by acknowledging Barry Keith Grant, the editor of the series in which this book appears, for his insight, diplomatic manner, and excep- tionally good ear.
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