The Civil War on Film

The Civil War on Film informs high-school and college readers interested in Civil War film history on issues that arise when film viewers confuse entertainment with historical accuracy.

The nation's years of civil war were painful, destructive, and unpleasant. Yet war films tend to embrace mythologies that erase that historical reality, romanticizing the Civil War. Opening with a timeline and introduction the book goes on to explore ten films across decades of cinema history in ten chapters, from Birth of a Nation, which debuted in 1915, to The Free State of Jones, which debuted 101 years later. It analyzes and critiques the myriad of mythologies and ideologies which appear in American Civil War films, including Lost Cause ideation, Black Confederate fictions, Northern Aggression mythologies, and White Savior tropes. Readers will better understand how particular films mirror the time in which they were written and filmed, and a list of further resources guides readers to explore the topic in more detail.