Five
Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by
Mark Harris (Penguin Group, 2014, 528 pages, $29.95) tells the story
of the wartime experiences of five of Hollywood's most awarded and
successful directors' experiences as they volunteered for service
during WW II, forsaking their careers to produce and direct
propaganda, training, and documentary films for the Army, Navy, and
Army Air Corps. Focusing on the experiences of John Ford, George
Stevens, John Huston, William Wyler, and Frank Capra, Harris details
in unsparing yet admiring prose the backgrounds, motives, skills,
experiences, productions, and personal costs experienced by these
five men as they moved from successful and lucrative careers at the
top of the film industry to the demanding conditions of producing
film for the military. He also takes a clear-eyed look at the effects
of their military experiences upon the kinds of films these men made
in the aftermath of the war as well as the political climate
affecting the film industry and the nation during this period. It's a
fascinating and detailed exploration which sheds light on today's
complex social and media environment as well as expanding the
reader's film literacy as the internal workings of these film
pioneers is examined. Harris has taken on an ambitious agenda and
succeeds at the highest level.
George Stevens in Europe
Throughout the1930's the film industry
had remained as apolitical as it possibly could, while individuals
increasingly spoke out against the rise of Hitler in non-studio
settings. The studio executives, most of whom were Jewish immigrants,
were cautious in the face of the pervasive sentiments of Antisemitism
in the country and the growing suspicion of Communist influence in an
industry dominated by “foreigners,” many of whom had immigrated
from eastern Europe. The Hollywood elite sought to avoid controversy,
serving up feel-good movies and doing it's best to avoid
compromising foreign markets by denying Hitler's danger. The Japanese
attack against Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 changed American
attitudes towards both the Japanese and Hitler in one startling
attack. Frank Capra, whose success had been built upon light hearted,
touching comedies, realized immediately that the war was real, and
that the film industry had much to contribute.
John Ford
John Ford joined the Navy even before
Pearl Harbor, while the others chose to join various services shortly
after the attack. (An interesting sidelight is the picture of John
Wayne who became a star in the John Ford western epic Stagecoach,
never served but became an icon at least partly as a result of his
military roles and well-articulated hyper-Americanism.) Ford
developed Field Photo as a publicity and recruiting device for the
Navy. The chronological structure of Five
Came Back cuts from director
to director within the gradual movement away from isolationism toward
war, emphasizing the differing viewpoints, ambitions, and
capabilities of the five directors. Each learns to cope with the
military bureaucracy as he develops ways to portray the goals of the
war (Capra), battle scenes (Wyler and Stephens), and progress in
their skill at both educating and supporting the war effort. As the
war continues, this country becomes less enthusiastic about war
propaganda and more hungry for greater realism. Stephens, in his
meticulous and detailed fashion captures the epic Battle of the Bulge
and is the first major film maker to experience and film the horrors
of the Nazi concentration camps, changing his life and approach to
film making forever. Similarly, Capra found himself unable to make
the same quality of films after the war he had made before, while
Wyler and Huston learned a new realism they were able to translate
into their later, greater films.
Frank Capra
Mark Harris
Mark Harris is the
author of Pictures at a Revolution. He formerly edited
Entertainment Weekly and has written about pop culture for
many other outlets. He graduated from Yale University and is married
to playwright Tony Kushner.
John Huston
Five Came Back
is a swell book in the parlance of the times. It took this reader
back to his earliest childhood memories as well as those developed
from TV and films watched through the eventful 1950's and sixties
during the Cold War. It was especially chilling and compelling
considering the present situations in Russia and the Middle East.
While many of the films are mere shadows of memory, others provoke
vivid memories of my childhood and youth, recalling an age thought
past, but which, in many ways, predicts and presages our current
difficulties. Toward the end of the book, two film makers emerge with
particular poignancy. William Wyler's return to his boyhood hometown
of Mulhause in France, destroyed by bombing, where he is told not to
search for any of his Jewish relatives because “they are not to be
found” is heartbreaking. Even more difficult is the portrait of
George Stevens almost mechanically detailing the horrors of Dachau
while understanding that he is creating a record for later use in the
post-war war crimes trials to be held in Nuremberg. Harris takes the
time to make clear the difficulty of readjusting the peacetime
Hollywood and the effects on each film maker of his war experiences.
Today we recognize this syndrome as PTSD.
William Wyler
.jpg)
with the Crew of Memphis Belle - 4th from right
Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywoodand the Second World War by Mark
Harris (Penguin Group, 2014, 528 pages, $29.95) explores the role of
film during the second world war with thoughtfulness, insight, and a
clear eye for detail and nuance. The difficulties of making the kinds
of film the government wanted and the interruption of flourishing
commercial careers are explored through the examination of five
directors who went to war and came home changed forever, as was their
country and their industry. It's timely, important, and readable. I
received the book as an electronic galley from the publisher through
Edelweiss. I read it on my Kindle.
