"Giovacchini's identification of vernacular modernism in American films, the morphing of a 'middle ground' for German cinematic art, Hollywood romance, drama and comedy, is a major breakthrough. He also casts new light upon the evolution of liberalism in the film capital. Hollywood Modernism will certainly be regarded as a milestone in the new generation of film studies." -Paul Buhle, Brown ... Read moreUniversity "Brilliantly conceived, assiduously researched and documented, carefully written and thoughtfully structured, Hollywood Modernism should become indispensable for those interested in this period of our social and cultural history. Giovacchini articulates a theory of democratic modernism that relates to the extended era of the New Deal, the Second World War, and the Cold War...relying heavily upon a truly impressive array of primary materials that deal with film production and film history." -Sam B. Girgus, Professor of English, Vanderbilt University, and author of Hollywood Renaissance "The book is at its best when it focuses on movies not as they regard larger artistic movements or trends, but instead as they are developed and produced by a community with particular and often competing interests." -The Journal of American History "This well-argued and wide-ranging work...posits the emergence of a democratic modernism in studio-era Hollywood when two networks-the New York leftist intellectuals and the European immigrants-met in a unique but temporal confluence of cultural and political agendas." -Scope: An Online Journal of Film Studies (Scroll about half-way down the page to find the review.) Show Less