History on Film/Film on History

History on Film/Film on History

“Provocative and assured, History on Film / Film on History is a pioneering work of critical analysis. With his usual stylistic elegance, Robert A. Rosenstone conveys a sense of passion and tough intelligence in a series of intensely engaging arguments. It is the definitive work in the field.”
-- Robert Burgoyne, University of St Andrews

“Robert Rosenstone’s History on Film/Film on History is a provocative, important book about nothing less than how we define history in the twenty-first century. ... [It] offers a compelling case for the power of film to make visible larger historical truths. ... a must read for anyone who cares about history in an age of mass culture.”
-- Alison Landsberg, George Mason University

“In its second edition, Rosenstone’s book remains a benchmark in the ever-expanding fields of film history and history.”
-- Frances Guerin, University of Kent

“This book is by the first and foremost writer (Robert Rosenstone) on how film and history is problematic and how one delves into why it matters. Very few academics and historians have touched the subject . . . because of obvious dilemmas film produces when reproducing the past. He doesn't go into film theory to the point of being numbing, but gives the reader some information about how films may be perceived and interpreted in order to give a better understanding of the past (or the present).”
-– Kino Chelovek, Amazon

History films have often been criticized by academics and journalists as inaccurate depictions of the past. Yet there is no escaping the fact that blockbuster history films, documentaries and docudramas are increasingly influential in shaping our understanding of historical people and events. The very controversies that erupt over so many historical films are testament to the central role that films play in making history accessible. Robert A. Rosenstone argues that to leave history films out of the discussion of the meaning of the past is to ignore a major factor in our understanding of past events. He champions the dramatic feature as a legitimate way of doing history, even though it is largely fictional. He examines what history films convey about the past and how they convey it, demonstrating the need to learn how to read and understand this new visual world. Integrating detailed analysis of individual history films, including Glory, Reds, October and Schindler's List, Rosenstone examines:

• different types of films - American, European, Mexican and Soviet - made in different political systems and climates;
• the dramatic feature, the biofilm, the documentary and the innovative or opposition drama;
• the filmmaker as historian, focusing on Oliver Stone as a brilliant historian of the Vietnam era;
• how a group of works devoted to a single topic, such as the Holocaust, can engage the largest discourse.

Publishing Information

2006. Publisher: Pearson. 2nd Edition: 2012. 3rd Edition: 2017
Translations/Foreign Editions: Spanish, Portuguese

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