War and Film

"War and Film" provides a concise, accessible and provocative study of war in popular cinema.

Discussing both documentary and feature films, and true war stories or fictional treatments, from "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Journey's End" to "Das Boot" and "Full Metal Jacket", James Chapman discusses the different ways in which war has been represented and film-makers' various responses to conflict.Organised thematically, Chapman discusses the issues that arise from the filmic coverage of war, and considers whether film ever can accurately reflect the experience of war, as well as the question of 'fakes'.

In addition to war documentaries, the book looks at the ways in which producers of feature films have attempted to create images of warfare that are 'more realistic than the real thing'.

It further discusses war as tragedy - film has been a powerful medium for the expression of anti-war sentiments, and most of the abiding cinematic representations of war represent it as a tragic, destructive and wasteful experience.

A final chapter explores the theme of war as adventure; films dramatising heroic stories and representing war as an exciting, if dangerous, adventure have been far more numerous than films probing the psychological effects of war on its protagonists."War and Film" ranges widely across different national cinemas, including films from Hollywood, Britain, and Europe, highlighting both common themes and different national responses to particular conflicts.

Discursive yet highly informed, this book will appeal both to the film studies market and to a more general readership of those who maintain an intellectual interest in and cultural fascination with warfare.