Ayn Rand and Song of Russia by Robert Mayhew

Ayn Rand and Song of Russia by Robert Mayhew

In October 1947, more than twenty years after leaving Russia, Ayn Rand testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was investigating communist infiltration of the motion picture industry. The focus of that testimony was Song of Russia, a 1944 pro-Soviet film that Rand decried for its unrealistic, absurdly flattering portrait of life in the communist country. Ayn Rand scholar Robert Mayhew focuses on this controversial period of American and Hollywood history by examining both the film and the furor surrounding Rand's HUAC testimony. His analysis provides the first detailed history of any of the pro-Soviet films to come out of 1940s Hollywood. Mayhew begins by offering a brief synopsis of the MGM film, followed by an account of its production, as well as its reception. Most significantly, Mayhew analyzes Rand's appearance before HUAC and discusses the response to her much-maligned testimony. By carefully scrutinizing this one episode in the history of communism and anti-communism in 1940s Hollywood, Mayhew presents a more accurate picture of those times and the issues surrounding them. His study allows for a re-evaluation of the role of communism in Hollywood, the nature of the HUAC, and even the Hollywood Ten. This book should be of interest to anyone interested in the life and thought of Ayn Rand, as well as to anyone interested in the history of Hollywood communism and of American film.

Including an excellent bibliography, this volume is a welcome addition to all collections that include works on HUAC and the Hollywood film industryHighly recommended. All levels. * CHOICE *
...Mayhew feels passionately about his subject, which he presents in exhaustive detail. * American Communist History *
In October 1947, Ayn Rand testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating communist infiltration of the movie industry. The focus of her testimony was Song of Russia, a pro-Soviet film that Rand decried for its unrealistically flattering portrait of life under communism in her native country. Mayhew (philosophy, Seton Hall, U., NJ) examines the film and the furor that surrounded Rand's testimony. He provides a detailed history of the 1944 film's production and reception as well as an analysis of Rand's much-maligned HUAC appearance and the response to it. His study allows for a re-evaluation of the role of communism in Hollywood, the nature of the HUAC, and even the famously blacklisted Hollywood Ten. Of interest to those studying the life and thought of Rand, the history of Hollywood communism, or American film. * Reference and Research Book News *

Robert Mayhew is Professor of Philosophy at Seton Hall University. He has written two books on Aristotle, translated a play of Aristophanes, and edited four collections of works by or about Ayn Rand, including Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living (Lexington, 2004).

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780810852761
ISBN 10	0810852764
Titel	Ayn Rand and Song of Russia
Autor	Robert Mayhew
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Scarecrow Press
Erscheinungsjahr	2004-12-03
Seitenanzahl	232
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar