Post-War Cinema

Following World War II, American films allegedly got darker. The work of John Ford is singled out, although during an interview Ford himself denies he is aware of any such darkening.

One of the focuses of this episode is on film noir, which Cousins says is carried over from the gangster film and brought Edward G. Robinson with them. There are, of course, similarities. They both tend to have bleak, dirty cities (or at least give us that feeling).

Also covered is Communism's effect on Hollywood. This is really a strange time in American history. Looking back, it seems that many were unfairly persecuted and some talented people stopped making movies. But that is looking back. At the time, this probably made sense to many -- maybe even most -- people. We certainly do not want subversive ideas being brought to us by the people who create our pop culture, do we?