BOOK REVIEW: JOURNAL OF AMERICAN CULTURE 26.4 (2003): TBA (Ray Browne is the founder of the American Culture Association and the Book Review Editor of the Journal of American Culture.) (www2.h-net.msu.edu/~pcaaca/pop.html) _____________________________________________________________ HOLLYWOOD'S WHITE HOUSE: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY IN FILM AND HISTORY (University Press of Kentucky, 2003). Peter C. Rollins and John E. O'Connor, Editors. Trying to capture the spirit(s) of the Presidents of the United States through the aims of the makers of movies is like trying to solidify reality in a house of mirrors during an earthquake when the intentions of various people and cultures and reactions rattle and roll with private and public intentions. Sometimes such a reality is best steadied under the hand of one person, who maintains a single point of view. Sometimes it is better done in a computer of several informed historians who keep unblinking eyes on the actions if the Presidents and the motivations of movie-makers who with their several purposes--some open, some concealed--make movies that will serve their own purposes or those of their actors. This collection of various historians reading history from, as it were, not the Oval Office but the Hollywood studio accomplishes its purposes well. Primarily these essays demonstrate how leaders of a developing democracy change as the demands of the public demands new approaches and new reactions. The Oval office, as well as the visiting rooms of the White House, is increasingly opened to the public. More and more Presidential writers, photographers and cameras are a part of the Presidential equipment. And carrying the most weight, perhaps, is the movie camera. Movie critic Stanley Kaufman if probably right in saying that included in the President's oath of office probably should be the demand that he/she "should also swear to defend the American filmmaker's right to use the presidency anyway they like." This collection of essays demonstrates dramatically the filmmaker alters reality to suit his purpose. D.W. Griffith rewrote history in his BIRTH OF A NATION, as we have been told a hundred times. Frank Capra, and Oliver Stone read history through their political bias. In fact, nowadays it is difficult to find a film about the President that does not have a slant. The insemination of the film generally begins with the President. Since TR Presidents have known that their office was Hollywood's grandest studio, and generally they have been happy to play a role constantly, reshooting a scene until it came out satisfactory for the director. And increasingly they will expand the role, serving as star on the movie stage that satisfies their constituents, the public, themselves and history. This volume is an excellent example of the American theater, with the Presidents performing on a Shakespearean stage and the roles they play sometimes successfully, sometimes miserably. We are the audience. We will be a much more informed audience after reading the essays in this book. --Ray Browne Bowling Green, OH ---- For past messages, visit the Screen-L Archives: http://bama.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html