Since You Went Away: A Brief History Of The 1940s
The 1940s
The 1940s were a turbulent time for the American people. A second World War spanning throughout the first half of the decade, the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the fear of communism left people with a sense of uncertainty. And yet, the 1940s were also a time of optimism and harmony. Coming out of the Great Depression and focusing on the war effort gave people a “sense of purpose exhilaration, and community”-- and that carried over into the post-war years.
This applied to Hollywood as well, which had some of its most successful years in the 40s. “The 1940s were a time of big stars and big audiences where the studios, with their armies of talented technicians and performers, reigned supreme.” However, the industry did not always make an effort to correctly reflect the social, political, and economic landscape of America during that time period. …show more content…
The majority of these films’ purposes were patriotic uplift, raising war morale, and maintaining commitment. John Ford’s They were Expendable (1945) is an example of this. The film’s characters are “viewed as heroes, men free of any fear of anxiety about the war.” Another film with the same purpose is David O. Selznick’s Since You Went Away (1944). Films that did show the gruesome realities of war were often prevented from releasing to the public. John Huston’s documentary Battle of San Pietro is one such example. The intense, haunting images of “exhausting soldiers, cemeteries of dog tags, and terrified peasants” led to it getting banned. Another example is the 1946 documentary Let There Be Light by John Huston. Its portrayal of psychologically traumatized veterans of the war caused massive controversy. The army banned the film after its production, citing fear of demoralizing post-war
The 1940s were a turbulent time for the American people. A second World War spanning throughout the first half of the decade, the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the fear of communism left people with a sense of uncertainty. And yet, the 1940s were also a time of optimism and harmony. Coming out of the Great Depression and focusing on the war effort gave people a “sense of purpose exhilaration, and community”-- and that carried over into the post-war years.
This applied to Hollywood as well, which had some of its most successful years in the 40s. “The 1940s were a time of big stars and big audiences where the studios, with their armies of talented technicians and performers, reigned supreme.” However, the industry did not always make an effort to correctly reflect the social, political, and economic landscape of America during that time period. …show more content…
The majority of these films’ purposes were patriotic uplift, raising war morale, and maintaining commitment. John Ford’s They were Expendable (1945) is an example of this. The film’s characters are “viewed as heroes, men free of any fear of anxiety about the war.” Another film with the same purpose is David O. Selznick’s Since You Went Away (1944). Films that did show the gruesome realities of war were often prevented from releasing to the public. John Huston’s documentary Battle of San Pietro is one such example. The intense, haunting images of “exhausting soldiers, cemeteries of dog tags, and terrified peasants” led to it getting banned. Another example is the 1946 documentary Let There Be Light by John Huston. Its portrayal of psychologically traumatized veterans of the war caused massive controversy. The army banned the film after its production, citing fear of demoralizing post-war